,.  WitW 
Bobs  and  Rrligef 


servatiOiA^s 

ar  Corresixai" 

0Reld  withBoth  Armies 


.ftj|-..|^|4;lSJl  I'wwt 


Unger 

s ,  L  - ' 


1 1 


With  -Bobs"  and  Kruger 


[n  Cronje's  Laager  at  Paardeburg.  IXpiosion  oi  a  iyddiie  shell  from  one  of 
the  naval  guns,  as  seen  through  a  telescope.  The  concussion  from  the 
explosion  was  supposed  to  kill  everything  within  a  radius  of  thirty  yards, 
while  the  black,  poisonous  fumes  were  intended  to  suffocate  as  well. 


,.  With 
Bobs  and  Krlig^er 


Experiences  and  Observations 
of  an  AmericanWar  Correspon- 
dent in  theFieldwithBoth  Armies 


Illustrated 

from 
PhotogVaphs 


TaKen  hy 

the 

Author 


B^Frederic  William  Unger 

Late  Correspondent  inSouthAfrica 
for  The  Daily  Express ,  London . 


i9oi 
Henrj>^T.  Coates  and  Company 

Philadelphia. 


Copyright,  1901,  by  HENRY  T.  COATES  &  CO. 


NOTE. 

The  author  wishes  to  state  that  in  the  following  narra- 
tive he  has  confined  himself  strictly  to  facts. 


n,^9:{.jG 


CONTENTS. 


I.  South  African  Peculiarities,       .  .  .  .  i 

II.  From  the  Klondyke  to  Cape  Town,  .  .  12 

III.  Getting  a  War  License  under  Difficulties — The  First 

Coup,       .  .  .  .  ,  .  21 

IV.  Off  to  the  Front,  .  .  .  .  -33 
V.  A  "  Soldier  of  the  (2ueen  "  for  One  Day  Only,       ,  42 

VI.  An  Armored  Train  Reconnaissance,     .  .  .46 

VII.  Beginning  All  Over  Again,  ...  56 

VIII.  The  Afrikanders  and  their  Feelings,     .  .  .65 

IX.  Some  Types  of  War  Correspondents,         .  .  73 

X.  "  At  fhe  Eiid  of  a  Wire  "  at  Last,         .  .  .79 

XI.  "  The  Times  "  Mess  and  a  Few  Adventures,  .  87 

XII.  Under  Arrest  Again,      .....      100 

XIII.  The  Battle  of  Paardeburg.  ....  105 

XIV.  Chickens  and  Chicanery,  ,  .  .  .112 
XV.  Cronje's  Laager  and  His  Surrender,           .             ,  123 

XVI.  Osfontein  and  Some  Exasperating  Experiences,  .      129 

XVII.  The  Turning-Point  of  the  War— the  Battle  of  Poplar 

Grove,  ......      141 

XVIII.  The  Occupation  of  Bloemfontein,  .  .  .  160 

XIX.  Observations  in  the  Free  State,  .  .  .      172 

XX.  Through  the  Enemy's  Lines  with  a  Message  for  the 

Queen,  .  .  .  .  .  .177 

XXI.  A  Full  License  at  Last,        ....  187 

XXII.  Two  Bloemfonteins,       .....     193 

XXIII.  KipHng  Again,  and  Some  Bloemfontein  Items,     .  202 

XXIV.  The  Free  State  Girls,     .  .  .  .  .215 
XXV.  Two    Other    Americans  —  Captain    Slocum,    United 

States  Attache,  and  Burnham  the  Scout,     .  .221 

XXVI.  With  General  French  after  General  De  Wet,  .  226 

9 


CONTENTS 


XXVII.  An  Echo  of   "  The  Shot  Heard  Round  the  World,"  236 

XXVIII.  War  on  Women,  Children  and  Homes,  .             .  251 
XXIX.  The  General  Advance  Northward  from   Bloemfon- 

tein,       ......  257 

XXX.  Farewell  to  the  Army  and  the  Free  State,      ,             .  268 

XXXI.  Conversion  of  "  Loot"  into  Literary  Capital,       .  272 
XXXII.  The  Land  of  Delay,  the  City  of  To-morrow,  and  the 

House  of  Next  Month,      ....  280 

XXXIII.  The  Land  of  the  Milreis,.             ...  287 

XXXIV.  By  Train  to  Pretoria,  .             .             .             .             .293 
XXXV.  In  the  Shadow  of  Surrender,         .             .             .  300 

XXXVI.  The  Last  Day  at  Pretoria,       .  .  .  .313 

XXXVII.  A  Chapter  of  Coincidences,          .             .             .  321 
XXXVIII.  The  Travelling  Railway  Carriage  Capital  at  Macha- 

dodorp,              .....  325 

XXXIX.  "  At  the  End  of  a  Wire  "  Once  More,            .             .  335 

XL.  Stealing  a  "Scoop"  in  Order  to  Benefit  its  Owner,  343 

XLI.  Life  at  Machadodorp,               .             .             .             .  350 

XLII.  Begg,  the  Spy,  Gets  Back  at  Me,              .             .  358 
XLIII.  With  the  Burghers  on  the  Veldt,                     .             .  365 
XLIV.  Generals  Botha,  Delarey,  and  the  Dynamite  Brigade,  373 
XLV.  A  Commandeering  Expedition  of  No  Account,         .  384 
XLVI.  The  Last  Day  with  Kriiger— a  Tight  Place,         .  392 
XLVII.  Secretary  Reitz  Gives  Me  a  Lesson  in  American  His- 
tory,     ......  398 

XLVIII.  The  Brains  of  the  Transvaal  Gang,  .  .  .403 

XLVIX.  Conclusion,            .....  406 


10 


With  '^Bobs"  and  Kruger, 


CHAPTER  I. 

SOUTH    AFRICAN    PECULIARITIES. 

A  MORE  perfect  understanding  of  the  war  in  South 
Africa  will  be  the  result  when  attention  is  given 
to  some  of  the  striking  characteristics  of  that  country,  so 
strangely  different  from  anything  that  the  dwellers  in  towns 
and  cities  on  this  the  extreme  opposite  side  of  the  earth 
may  imagine. 

South  Africa,  which  in  spite  of  its  immensity  is  only  the 
lower  point  or  tip  of  the  great  "  dark  continent,"  is  a  suc- 
cession of  vast  plateaus  ascending  from  the  sea  in  a  series 
of  immense  terraces,  for  the  main  part  flat  and  level  as  the 
sea  itself,  but  with  occasional  wrinkles  of  its  surface  form- 
ing irregular  mountain  systems  ;  or,  sprinkled  about  in  a 
careless  way,  the  more  or  less  perfectly  cone-shaped  kopjes, 
resting  on  the  smooth  veldt  (plateau — prairie)  as  though 
pushed  through  from  beneath  as  a  bluntly  pointed  pencil 
pierces  a  sheet  of  paper.  Where  one  plateau  ends,  and 
the  ascent  to  the  next  begins,  a  long,  ragged  edge  appears, 
presenting  to  the  eye,  from  below,  an  endless  range  of 
mountain  gorges,  weirdly  beautiful,  sublimely  grand,  almost 
oppressive  in  the  sense  inspired  of  permanency  and  change- 
lessness  ;  while  from  above  the  eye  gazes  across  a  vast 
plain,  apparently  limitless  in  extent,  fading  away  into  dim 
haziness,  through  which  perhaps  the  faint  outlines  of  a  series 
I  I 


WITH    'BOBS"  ANB  KRUGER 

of  kopjes  appear,  and  which  we  hesitate  to  beHeve  are  sixty, 
eighty  or  a  hundred  miles  away.  Coming  closer  to  an  iso- 
lated range  of  these  South  African  mountains,  we  see  that 
as  a  rule  their  summits  are  perfectly  flat,  sometimes  many 
acres  in  extent,  and  we  realize  that  there  rests  a  portion  of 
the  surface  of  an  ancient  plateau  long  since  washed  away 
to  the  lower  level,  leaving  the  flat-topped  kopjes  as  silent 
sentinels  guarding  the  mysteries  of  the  veldt,  and  indicating 
the  extent  to  which  it  has  been  conquered  by  time  and  the 
elements. 

The  greater  part  of  this  country  is  semi-barren.  Sporadic 
garden-spots  of  territory  exist,  while  stretches  of  desert 
comparable  only  to  the  bad  lands  of  the  Dakotas  abound, 
and  threaten  to  overwhelm  like  a  rising  sea  the  beautiful 
island-like  oases  which  the  sturdy  burghers  have  torn  from 
the  reluctant  soil  and  converted  into  beautiful  homesteads 
seldom  less  than  five  or  ten  miles  distant  from  one  another. 

Fringing  the  coast  line,  and  penetrating  the  interior  from 
fifty  to  a  hundred  miles,  a  most  luxuriant  growth  of  vege- 
tation, forest  and  jungle,  is  slowly  creeping  farther  inland. 
Back  on  the  high  veldt,  between  the  cultivated  spots  and 
the  desert  regions,  are  wide  areas  where  a  scanty  growth 
of  cactus  thorn-bush  and  the  South  African  sage,  the 
Karroo  bush,  appears,  affording  a  meagre  subsistence  for 
the  scattered  herds  of  cattle,  sheep  and  ostriches  from 
which  the  inland  Boer  derives  his  sole  support. 

At  the  border  of  the  Free  State  the  soil  becomes  more 
fertile,  the  surface  of  the  country  begins  to  undulate 
slightly,  increasing  to  heavily  rolling  stretches  as  we  ad- 
vance farther  eastward,  and  on  pushing  northward  and  into 
the  Transvaal,  the  veldt  folds  up,  the  country  *'  comes 
closer,"  the  fifty-mile  views  disappear,  and  the  traveller  or 
soldier  finds  himself  in  a  rough  mountain  land  where  the 
reefs  of  the  Rand  and  their  fabulously  rich  gold-bearing 

2 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  PECULIARITIES 

ores  are  focused,  at  once  the  blessing  and  curse  of  the 
early  settlers  and  their  followers. 

When  a  government  official  many  years  ago  rushed 
breathlessly  into  the  presence  of  President  Kriiger  with 
the  information  that  gold  had  been  discovered  in  paying 
quantities,  and  that  now  all  the  burghers  would  become 
rich,  that  far-seeing  old  statesman  is  reported  to  have 
replied, 

"  For  every  ounce  of  that  cursed  metal  mined  in  this 
land  the  burghers  of  the  Transvaal  will  pay  with  great 
drops  of  their  and  their  children's  blood."  A  grim 
prophecy  of  the  war  of  1900. 

Through  all  this  country  very  little  water  is  found.  The 
rivers  are  far  apart,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year 
their  beds  are  dry  sand.  For  two  or  three  months  heavy 
rain  storms  are  frequent,  and  then  the  farmer  stores  up 
his  year's  supply  of  water  behind  great  dams,  built  to  im- 
pound the  water  that  falls  on  many  thousands  of  acres  of 
the  land  about  his  home. 

Occasionally  a  more  fortunate  emigrant,  slowly  toiling 
across  the  desert  with  his  tedious  ox-teams,  came  upon  a 
spring,  and  decided  that  he  had  gone  far  enough,  so  he 
stopped  there  ;  and  years  afterward  his  children  and  his 
neighbors'  children  came  to  know  the  place  as  "  Spring- 
fontein  "or  "  Ossfontein,"  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Free  State,  where  others  too  gathered  about, 
they  called  the  place  "  Bloemfontein  " — the  spring  where 
the  flowers  grow. 

About  these  places  a  few  trees  would  grow  up,  carefully 
planted  and  tended  by  the  settlers.  Tall,  slender  poplars, 
frequently  outlining  twenty  to  thirty  acres  of  land,  with  an 
immense  hedge  of  aloes  or  century  plants  between,  would 
form  a  spacious  cattle-kraal.  Around  the  dam  a  cluster 
of  weeping-willows  would  be  seen,  while  a  dozen  or  more 

3 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

gigantic  blue  gums,  towering  a  hundred  feet  overhead, 
shaded  the  homestead  from  the  noonday  rays  of  the  sub- 
tropical sun,  which  beats  mercilessly  down  from  a  contin- 
uously cloudless  sky  above. 

Then  when  evening  drew  near,  when  the  native  boys 
had  driven  the  cattle  into  the  kraals,  the  pious  old  burgher 
would  call  his  entire  household,  man-servant  and  maid- 
servant and  the  stranger  within  his  gates,  "together  for 
evening  worship,  while  the  sun  dropped  behind  the  edge 
of  the  veldt,  the  darkness  of  night  quickly  covering  the 
farm  land,  the   cloudless   sky  above   affording  insufficient 


A  Typical  Boer  Farmhouse  in  the  Free  State,  near  Bloemfontein,  owned  by 
the  Schmidt  Family. 

background  to  enable  the  rays  of  the  departing  king  of 
day  to  even  tint  the  brief  twilight. 

Of  the  climate  no  criticism  can  be  made  ;  for  with  its 
high  altitudes,  dry,  invigorating  air  and  bright  sunshine,  it 
has  built  up  into  strong  men  and  women  hundreds  of 
physical  wrecks  that  have  gone  there  from  other  countries 
in  search  of  the  health  that  awaited  them. 

South  Africa  has  been  summed  up  in  a  few  words  as 
being  *'  A  land  without  trees,  where  the  fields  are  without 
grass,  the  flowers  without  smell,  the  birds  without  song, 
the  rivers  without  water,  the  skies    without    clouds,  the 

4 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  PECULIARITIES 

evenings  without  sunsets,  the  men  without  honor  and  the 
women  without  virtue."  The  most  of  this  is  true.  The 
honor  of  men  in  that  country,  as  of  men  elsewhere,  is 
elastic,  and  a  stranger,  especially  if  he  asks  questions  in 
English,  is  likely  to  be  lied  to,  and  to  find  that  the  **  next 
farm,  just  beyond  the  kopje,"  is  quite  ten  miles  farther; 
but  that  the  women  are  without  virtue  is  as  false  of  South 
Africa  as  of  England. 

It  is  not  strange  that  in  so  surprising  a  country  should 
develop  unexpected  differences  in  war  from  all  our  concep- 
tions of  warfare,  based  on  the  histories  of  other  conflicts. 
As  the  Spanish-American  contest  was  a  revelation  to 
Europe  of  the  power  of  our  resources  and  a  renewed  re- 
minder of  the  efficiency  of  our  navy,  so  the  Anglo-Boer 
conflict  has  been  in  an  even  broader  sense  full  of  astound- 
ing revelations  to  the  armies  of  the  civilized  world,  because 
of  the  scene  of  the  war  and  of  the  great  changes  brought 
about  by  modern  implements  of  slaughter  employed  in 
this  their  first  great  test  in  a  land-war  on  a  large  scale 
between  white  men  as  enemies. 

And  so  when  friends  and  relatives  gather  about  as  the 
returning  warrior,  or  the  defeated  patriot,  an  exile  in 
strange  lands,  tells  his  tales  and  re-fights  his  battles,  one 
may  expect  to  hear  of  a  war  from  which  all  the  old-time 
pomp,  parade,  enthusiasm  and  romance  have  departed.  It 
is  strange  to  hear  of  great  armies  without  uniforms, — for  the 
Boers  fought  in  their  oldest  clothes  and  the  British  army 
was  clad  in  khaki,  a  yellow,  mud-colored  material  which, 
after  a  few  weeks'  wear,  bore  about  as  much  resemblance 
to  the  brilliantly-dressed  legions  of  one  hundred  years  ago 
as  a  workman's  dirty  overalls  do  to  a  glittering  full-dress 
uniform.  Strange  it  is,  too,  to  hear  of  officers  without 
swords, — a  sad  blow  to  the  English  regimental  dandies. 
When  Boer  sharp-shooting  made  overlong  lists  of  officers 

5 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

killed,  all  insignia  of  rank  was  stripped  from  the  aristocrats 
in  the  field,  and  the  officers  were  ordered  to  shoulder  rifles, 
to  make  them  indistinguishable  from  their  men  ;  then  in- 
deed did  the  Imperial  army  degenerate  into  what  their 
simple-hearted  adversaries  compared  to  "  a  swarm  of 
locusts  creeping  on  over  the  veldt " — a  khaki  blur  on 
the  grey-green  landscape,  steadily  moving  onward,  through 
long,  tiresome  marches,  with  never  the  gladdening  beat  of 
a  drum  to  aid  in  keeping  step  ;  for  in  that  still  air  all  noise 


**  A  River  Without  Water,"  near  Cape  Town,  with  camp  guarding  Railway 
Bridge  against  Threatened  Rebellion  in  Cape  Colony. 

was  suppressed  to  avoid  warning  a  possibly  careless  enemy 
of  the  army's  advance. 

The  British  soldier  will  tell  of  great  battles  in  which  he 
never  saw  the  enemy,  for  this  was  the  prerogative  of  the 
few  men  on  the  scouting  line  and  the  officers  equipped  with 
powerful  field-glasses,  through  which  the  forms  of  the  re- 
tiring foe  could  be  dimly  distinguished  two  or  three  miles 
away. 

When  the  opposing  forces  came  to  close  quarters,  though 
seldom  closer  than  the  old-time  longest  distance  range,  the 
crackling  of  rifles  would  be  heard  distinctly,  and  the  drop- 

6 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  PECULIARITIES 


ping  of  comrades  on  all  sides  would  tell  plainly  enough 
that  an  active  enemy  was  in  front ;  yet  with  smokeless 
powder  in  use  on  both  sides,  and  rifle-fire  effective  at  a  mile 
and  a  half,  it  was  seldom  indeed  that  the  British  Tommy 
caught  sight  of  a  Boer  ;  while  the  latter  was  invariably 
firing  at  that  '*  khaki  blur  "  across  the  fair  face  of  the  veldt, 
trusting  to  chance  to  find  a  billet  for  his  bullet  beneath  one 
of  those  ugly  uniforms.  And  when  advancing  to  a  charge 
through  the  thick  of  a  desperate  battle, — the  long  rifle-rolls 
and  lyddite  thunders 
oddly  contrasting  with 
the  entire  absence  of 
smoke, — what  a  sad 
lack  of  the  old-time  en- 
thusiasm prevailed  while 
men  cautiously  crawled 
up  the  sides  of  one  of 
those  natural  fortifica- 
tions, the  kopjes,  with- 
out a  note  from  a  bugle, 
the  single  beat  of  a 
drum,  or  even  the  inspir- 
ing sight  of  a  flag  to 
nerve  the  survivors  on- 
ward ! 

Even  the  cavalry,  once  the  most  brilliant  and  picturesque 
arm  of  the  service,  was  now  relegated  to  the  sole  occupa- 
tion of  executing  flanking  movements,  with  no  intention  of 
engaging  the  enemy.  The  old-time  cavalry  charges  have 
become  a  thing  of  the  past,  for  in  the  very  few  instances  in 
which  they  were  made  it  was  clearly  shown  to  be  mere 
murder  to  send  a  body  of  horsemen  galloping  against  the 
deadly  hail  of  the  Mauser  or  the  utterly  demoralizing  and 
annihilating  rapid-fire  of  the  Maxim  and  the  *' pom-pom." 

7 


A  Typical  Group    of  Boer  Women  with 
their  Brother,  Taken  near  Bloemfontein. 


WITH  ''  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

With  the  advent  of  the  so-called  "  civilized  warfare," 
and  the  total  elimination  of  permitted  pillage  or  looting, 
the  strongest  passion  and  incentive  of  war,  next  to  the  love 
of  fighting  itself,  is  swept  away,  and  the  modern  army  be- 
comes reduced  to  a  mere  emotionless  machine.  Only  one 
thing  more  need  be  subtracted  from  war — the  noise ;  and 
then,  when  the  bullet  speeds  silently  on  its  mission,  when 
the  lyddite  bomb  breaks  gently  to  dissolve  its  poisonous 
vapors,  and  neither  leave  the  slightest  trace  of  the  direc- 
tion or  distance  from  which  they  come,  then  indeed  will 
the  last  feature,  except  slaughter,  of  the  old-time  wars 
have  passed  away. 

So  in  this  Anglo-Boer  contest  we  see  war  robbed  of  all 
its  romance — campaigning  among  veldt  and  kopje,  great 
armies  without  uniform  marching  drearily  without  music, 
fighting  battles  without  smoke,  making  desperate  assaults 
without  flags,  and  achieving  conquest  without  pillage.  Since 
nearly  three  hundred  thousand  Englishmen  have  been  sent 
to  South  Africa  to  oppose  what  at  the  most  amounted  to 
less  than  forty  thousand  Boers,  and  later  became  reduced 
to  less  than  fifteen  thousand,  while  the  comparative  strength 
of  the  two  armies  gradually  changed  from  two  to  one  to 
twenty  to  one,  we  may  safely  add  that  history  will  tell  of 
British  victory  without  glory  and  of  Boer  defeat  without 
shame. 

In  this  strange  South  African  land,  as  its  material  devel- 
opment progressed  and  its  different  parts  slowly  grew  into 
closer  contact  with  each  other  through  railways,  telegraphs 
and  newspaper  distribution,  far-seeing  statesmen  began  to 
perceive  the  gradual  arousing  and  growth  of  the  instinct  of 
national  consciousness.  The  different  peoples  came  to 
realize  that  they  had  much  in  common,  and  encouraged 
by  scheming  politicians  at  home  and  the  example  of  our 
own  country  abroad,  the   desire  for  federation   among  the 

8 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  PECULIARITIES 


colonies  with  the  Httle  isolated  republics  in  the  North  grew 
until  it  became  a  passion  not  only  with  the  Boers  proper, 
but  even  more  with  the  descendants  of  other  nationalities 
composing  the  Afrikander  element  and  a  few  of  the  Uit- 
landers  who  had  lived  long  enough  in  the  country  to  have 
learned  to  love  it  as  their  own.  For  a  while  this  was  en- 
couraged by  men   like  Cecil  Rhodes,  and  it  was  not  until 


Kafifir  Diamond  Diggers  expelled  from  Kimberley  during  the  siege-  sent  to 
the  Boer  lines,  and  re-expelled  to  the  English  lines — at  General  Gatacre's 
Headquarters.  The  English  furnished  them  with  supplies  and  employed 
them  in  repairing  the  railways. 

Rhodes  realized  that  the  anti-English  element  was  too 
strong  to  allow  of  his  becoming,  as  he  had  fondly  dreamed, 
the  first  President  of  the  United  States  of  South  Africa, 
that  he  allowed  a  policy  to  be  adopted  which  led  on  to  the 
shameful  Jameson  raid.  That  raid  showed  England's  hand, 
and  from  that  time  the  Boers  began  to  arm  and  prepare 
for  the  inevitable  conflict.  This  movement  naturally  be- 
gan with,  and  developed  greatest   strength  among,  the  in- 

9 


WITH  ''  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

land  Boers,  who  through  two  hundred  years  had  learned 
to  distrust  and  fiercely  hate  the  British,  who  had  driven 
them  back  from  the  fertile  and  beautiful  coast  line,  across 
the  dreadful  Karroo  Desert,  to  the  semi-barren  lands  of 
the  high  veldt ;  but  it  also  found  a  hearty  echo  and  earnest 
support  among  the  people  of  Cape  Colony  and  of  Natal. 
The  plottings  and  schemings  went  on,  for  these  people  had 
read  the  history  of  our  own  struggle  for  liberty  and  inde- 
pendence against  the  same  power,  they  had  come  to  idealize 
and  idolize  our  country  and  its  institutions,  they  dreamed 
of  duplicating  America  in  South  Africa,  counted  on  our 
moral  sympathy  and  support,  and  unquestionably  expected 
with  confidence  some  substantial  assistance  from  us  when 
the  crisis  should  arrive. 

Meanwhile,  after  years  of  frantic  appeal  from  loyal 
subjects  of  the  Queen,  and  after  the  election  of  a  Boer 
majority  in  the  Cape  Parliament,  the  British  government 
became  aroused,  and  after  pushing  troops  and  supplies 
close  up  to  the  frontier  and  putting  an  army  on  the  sea 
en  route  for  the  Cape,  her  ministers  adopted  a  diplomatic 
tone  shrewdly  calculated  to  force  hostilities,  and  succeeded 
in  compelling  the  Boers  to  take  a  technical  initiative  in 
opening  the  war.  The  subsequent  events  have  been  of  too 
recent  occurrence  and  have  received  too  much  publicity  to 
make  comment  necessary  at  this  time. 

The  following  narrative  will  be  at  times  extremely  per- 
sonal, but  I  wish  to  impress  upon  the  reader's  mind  the  idea 
that,  rather  than  being  my  own  story,  it  is  that  of  an  Ameri- 
can, a  disinterested  observer  with  natural  feelings  of  sym- 
pathy with  both  sides,  whose  privilege  it  has  been  to  be  in 
the  thick  of  the  struggle  with  both  armies,  and  who  realizes 
that  the  subjective  parts  of  his  experiences  are  not  among 
the  least  in  interest  to  his  readers. 

One  thing  more  :  this  is  a  close  view  of  South  Africa  and 

10 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  PECULIARITIES 

the  war.  It  was  not  my  privilege  to  obtain  the  general 
perspective  of  operations  which  a  hundred  daily  newspaper 
reports  from  every  scene  of  action  brought  to  the  eye  of 
the  British  and  American  public.  This  does  not  in  any 
sense  pretend  to  be  a  history  of  the  war ;  merely  a  narra- 
tive of  personal  experiences  and  observations,  which  I  hope 
may  prove  deserving  of  attention  and  worthy  of  interest. 


II 


CHAPTER  II. 

FROM    THE    KLONDYKE    TO    CAPE    TOWN. 

LATE  in  June,  1898,  about  eight  hundred  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon  River  in  Alaska,  two  disgusted 
gold-seekers  were  completing  a  twenty-five-hundred-mile 
trip  down  that  great  river,  having  traversed  the  entire  gold- 
bearing  strip  of  the  country.  They  were  seated  in  a  small 
row-boat,  bearing  the  euphonious  name  of  Klondyke 
Sucker,  registered  No.  21 17,  which  a  week  before  had 
capsized,  spilling  the  entire  possessions  of  the  two  argonauts, 
including  their  gold-dust,  into  the  yellow  flood.  Since  then 
it  had  been  raining  dismally,  and  it  was  to  continue  doing 
so  for  three  weeks  longer.  Blankets  and  clothing  were  wet 
and  refused  to  dry.  Over  a  small  fire  in  half  a  barrel  of 
sand  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat  were  cooked  the  beans  and 
bacon  obtained  from  a  friendly  steamboat ;  also  the  sportive 
''king"  salmon  obtained  daily  from  the  half  Indian,  half 
Esquimaux  natives,  by  bartering  pieces  of  soap  from  a  small 
box  saved  from  the  wreck.  Between  meals  the  fire  was 
covered  with  wet  wood  for  the  double  purpose  of  drying 
the  fuel  and  of  making  a  smudge  of  smoke  to  drive  away 
the  great  clouds  of  terrible  Yukon  mosquitoes  which  at 
times  fairly  cast  a  shadow  over  the  boat. 

It  was  late  in  the  season,  and  as  the  last  steamers  might 
leave  St.  Michael's  harbor  for  Seattle  any  day,  the  boat  was 
kept  drifting  on  the  four-mile  current  day  and  night,  increas- 
ing the  perils  of  the  trip,  yet  saving  all-important  time.  The 
day  was  divided  into  two  shifts  of  ten  hours  each,  the  two 
men,   of  whom   I   was  one,   taking  turns  at  sleeping  and 

12 


FROM  THE  KLONDYKE  TO  CAPE  TOWN 

guiding  the  boat.  The  remaining  four  hours  were  spent  in 
cooking,  eating  and  conversation.  During  one  of  these  in- 
termissions my  partner,  Gene,  was  looking  over  a  compar- 
atively recent  magazine  number  which  had  come  into  our 
possession.  Pausing  at  one  page,  he  read  a  paragraph  si- 
lently, and  then  handed  the  magazine  to  me,  saying, 
**  Here,  Fred,  I  guess  this  about  strikes  us." 
I  read  the  lines  indicated,  and  my  mind  went  back  up  the 
river  and  over  the  trail  to  the  day  I  landed  at  Dyea,  with 
two  partners,  all  three  of  us  victims  of  the  "  Black  Death," 
or  cerebro-spinal  meningitis.  Then  followed  the  dreary  days 
in  the  trail  hospital ;  the  death  of  my  two  partners  ;  the  loss 
of  my  money  and  outfit ;  my  painful  first  trip  over  the  Chil- 
koot  Pass,  a  wreck  physically  and  financially  ;  my  meeting 
with  Gene  ;  the  making  of  our  small  fortune  during  three 
months  on  the  trail ;  then  the  six-hundred-mile  river  trip  to 
Dawson  City  and  the  gold-fields  ;  the  disappointment  there  ; 
the  departure  for  new  fields  ;  the  loss  of  our  outfit ;  and 
the  weeks  of  helpless  suffering  during  this,  our  frantic  effort 
to  escape  from  that  frozen  hell.  This  is  what  Gene  had 
read  and  passed  to  me  : 

**  Persons  who  have  sympathy  to  spare  after  feeling  for 
the  Cuban  reconcentrados,  Spain,  ourselves,  and  all  sufferers 
by  war,  pestilence  and  famine,  are  invited  to  bestow  some 
of  their  surplus  on  persons  of  an  adventurous  disposition 
who  went  months  ago  to  the  Klondyke  under  the  impres- 
sion that  there  would  be  more  excitement,  peril,  discomfort 
and  general  devilment  up  there  this  spring  than  anywhere 
else  on  earth.  How  these  restless  enthusiasts  will  feel  when 
they  discover  that  war  has  been  hatched  in  the  tropics  in 
their  absence  is  something  for  the  imaginative  to  try  to 
picture.  The  men  who  are  Klondykers  for  business  reasons 
will  doubtless  be  thankful  that  a  counter-attraction  has  de- 
veloped to  draw  off  the  crowd  that  threatened  to  swarm  all 

13 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

over  the  new  gold  country,  but  those  who  went  largely  for 
sport  or  in  search  of  material  for  stories  will  grieve  and 
worry.  There  is  something  exhilarating  in  being  on  the 
spot  of  earth  that  all  the  world  is  looking  at,  but  to  have 
toiled  and  starved  and  frozen  and  fought  to  reach  that  spot, 
and  then  to  find  all  the  world  looking  another  way,  is  very 
like  the  sarcasm  of  destiny." 

Gene  was  right ;  it  did  strike  us  ;  but  we  kept  our  mouths 
shut  and  our  boat  straight  for  two  weeks  longer,  and  reached 
St.  Michael's  harbor  safely.  Here  we  parted  company. 
Gene  going  back  up  the  river  **  piling  wood  "  on  a  river 
boat,  while  I  returned  to  the  States  on  an  ocean  steamer  as 
a  stowaway,  and  succeeded  in  landing  without  detection. 
Then  I  went  home,  where  the  reaction  from  exposure, 
''Black  Death,"  dysentery,  scurvy,  typhoid,  and  Yukon 
cough,  which  had  been  incidental  to  my  Alaskan  trip, 
robbed  me  of  health  and  ambition  for  a  year. 

Nevertheless,  I  had  a  good  constitution,  inherited  from 
many  generations  of  careful  livers,  so  the  fall  of  1899  found 
me  restless  and  anxious  to  *' hit  the  trail  "  again,  and  until 
the  war-clouds  broke  over  the  Transvaal  I  had  been  look- 
ing toward  the  Philippines.  Fearing  that  again  I  might 
''find  the  world  looking  in  the  other  direction,"  I  changed 
my  plans  and  decided  in  favor  of  South  Africa. 

But  here  I  came  face  to  face  with  a  great  difficulty.  To 
go  to  the  Philippines  was  easy  enough,  for  it  required  only 
enlistment  in  the  army.  South  Africa  was  another  matter, 
and  my  resources  were  extremely  slender.  While  still 
pondering  this  problem  I  chanced  to  pick  up  a  copy  of 
Rudyard  Kipling's  "The  Light  that  Failed,"  and  read  with 
deep  interest  the  opening  chapters  of  the  story  of  the  young 
artist  who  became  a  war  correspondent.  In  the  second 
chapter  I  read  the  lines — 

"  There  were  many  correspondents  with  many  corps  and 

14 


FROM  THE   KLONDYKE  TO  CAPE  TOWN 


columns — from  the  veterans  who  had  followed  on  the  heels 
of  the  cavalry  that  occupied  Cairo  in  '82,  what  time  Arabi 
Pasha  called  himself  king,  who  had  seen  the  first  miserable 
work  around  Suakim,  when  the  sentries  were  cut  up  nightly 
and  the  scrub  swarmed  with  spears,  to  youngsters  jerked 
into  the  business  at  the  end  of  a  telegraph  wire  to  take  the 
place  of  their  betters  killed  or  invalided." 

I  read  on,  mechanically,  many  pages,  my  mind  following 
a  train  of  thought  suggested  by  that  paragraph.  Then  I 
read  the  entire  book,  and  closed  it  with  the  determination 
to  go  to  South  Africa  as  a  War  Correspondent.  The 
expression,  **  youngsters 
jerked  into  the  business 
at  the  end  of  a  telegraph 
wire  to  take  the  place  of 
their  betters  killed  or 
invalided,"  told  me  that 
if  I  could  not  get  sent  to 
the  front  by  a  home 
paper  I  would  stand  a 
chance  of  getting  an  op- 
portunity by  going  there 
anyway,  and  after  that 
my  future  would  depend 

on  my  own  abilities.  My  Alaska  experience  was  the  foun- 
dation of  my  assurance,  and  I  went  about  the  business  with 
the  spirit  outlined  in  "A  Message  for  Garcia." 

I  visited  every  newspaper  office  in  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia, saw  the  proper  persons  when  I  could,  and  told 
them  of  my  qualifications  and  experiences.  I  failed  utterly 
to  get  any  encouragement.  All  that  resulted  from  my 
efforts  were  two  brief  letters  from  a  Sunday  editor  and  a 
newspaper  **  syndicate,"  agreeing  to  receive  any  copy  I 
might  send  them  from  the  front  and  to  pay  for  it,  ''if  used.'' 

15 


Irish  Brigade  marchingdownAdderly  Street, 
Cape  Town.     Post  Office  in  background. 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Every  would-be  correspondent  is  familiar  with  those  two 
detestable  words.  Then  I  borrowed  one  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars  and  sailed  for  Liverpool  on  a  twelve-day  boat.  This 
was  in  the  third  week  of  November,  1 899,  and  my  fellow- 
passengers  on  the  Waesland  were  betting  even  money  that 
Ladysmith  and  Kimberley  would  be  relieved  before  we 
landed,  and  declaring  that  the  war  would  be  over  before  I 
could  reach  Cape  Town.  Worse  still,  they  utterly  refused 
to  believe  that  I  was  anything  like  a  war  correspondent. 

Then  followed  five  days  in  London,  where  I  saw  more 
newspaper  people,  was  refused  a  war  license  at  the  War 
Office,  and  was  strongly  advised  by  the  few  friends  I  had 
acquired  that  my  plan  was  ''  no  good,"  and  that  I  had  bet- 
ter follow  other  men  who  had  come  over  with  the  same 
idea,  and  go  back  home  again.  My  failure  at  the  War 
Office  was  specially  depressing,  for  I  had  hoped  to  get  a 
license,  which  I  had  reason  to  believe  would  secure  me 
transportation  to  Table  Bay  on  a  military  transport ;  and  I 
had  also  heard  that  when  the  British  army  accept  a  man 
as  a  war  correspondent  he  becomes  their  guest ;  he  is  pro- 
vided for  as  are  the  military  attaches  representing  the  other 
powers,  and  is  at  no  expense  except  for  wines  and  cigars — 
things  which  I  decided  to  do  without. 

I  discovered  that  I  should  need  a  camera,  so  I  spent 
twenty  dollars  for  one,  of  American  design,  which  I  could 
have  bought  in  the  United  States  for  half  the  money.  On 
the  evening  of  the  fifth  day  I  crept  into  my  bunk  on  an- 
other slow  boat,  this  time  for  Cape  Town,  I  having  used 
half  of  my  remaining  funds  for  a  third-class  ticket.  This 
was  on  the  iith  of  December,  and  the  papers  of  that 
morning  had  contained  the  account  of  General  Gatacre's 
reverse  at  Stormberg  and  the  capture  of  six  hundred  of 
his  men  by  the  Boers.  This  was  the  first  real  encourage- 
ment I  had  received — not  that  I  was  a  partisan  in  any  sense 

16 


FROM  THE   KLONDYKE  TO   CAPE  TOWN 


of  the  word,  but  because  it  demonstrated  that  my  opinion 
that  the  war  would  be  stubbornly  contested  by  the  Boers 
was  correct.  I  believed  that  the  conflict  would  be  long- 
protracted,  and  that  was  why  I  thought  it  worth  while  to 
see  it. 

My  plans  at  this  time  were  somewhat  vague.  I  intended 
to  make  a  last  effort  to  connect,  as  per  Kipling,  with  a 
newspaper  at  Cape  Town.  Failing  in  this,  I  hoped  in  some- 
way to  get  to  the  front  and  see  some  actual  fighting.  As 
a  last  alternative,  if  nothing  better  offered,  I  intended  to  find 
my  way  through  the   lines 


Hi 


nimw" 


to  the  Boer  army  and  join 
the  first  body  of  Americans 
I  should  find  among  them. 
The  presentation  of  my 
American  passport  would 
prevent  misunderstandings, 
and  I  felt  certain  that,  in- 
cidentally, there  would  be 
opportunities  for  taking 
photographs  of  much  in- 
terest. 

The  voyage  to  Table  Bay 
lasted  nearly  four  weeks. 
For  a  few  days,  until  we  had  crossed  the  Bay  of  Biscay, 
the  rough  seas  kept  everybody  below  deck.  My  steamer, 
the  Australasian,  was  a  freighter,  and  only  carried  passen- 
gers as  an  accommodation — a  few  third-class  and  still  fewer 
first-class.  There  was  no  second  cabin.  There  were  only 
sixteen  male  passengers  and  half  a  dozen  women.  Our 
accommodations  were  crowded,  but  clean  and  comfortable 
— about  thirty  bunks  in  one  room  between  decks  in  the 
forward  part  of  the  boat,  with  three  small  tables,  seating  six 
each,  at  one  side.    We  kept  our  baggage  in  the  lower  berths 

17 


The  Sussex  Regiment  marching  down 
Adderly  Street,  Cape  Town.  The 
Grand  Hotel  in  the  background. 


WITH   ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

and  slept  in  the  upper  ones ;  mine,  fortunately,  had  a 
port-hole,  giving  ample  light  and  fresh  air — both  desirable 
when  fifteen  men  are  sleeping,  eating  and  living  in  one 
cabin. 

We  were  a  cosmopolitan  lot.  I  was  the  only  American, 
though  four  of  my  fellow-travellers  had  been  in  the  United 
States.  One  of  the  company  had  been  a  fur  hunter  and 
trapper  in  the  Rockies,  another  was  a  telegraph  and  cable 
operator,  a  third  had  been  a  Texan  cow-puncher,  while 
the  fourth  was  a  South  American  adventurer  who  had 
served  in  half  a  dozen  different  armies  and  taken  part  in 
a  dozen  Central  and  South  American  rebellions.  Several 
had  been  gold  miners,  and  fully  half  had  already  been  in 
South  Africa,  some  having  taken  part  in  the  bloody 
•'native"  wars  of  a  dozen  years  before.  Then  there  were 
a  few  sickly-looking  clerks  from  London,  several  emigrants 
to  Australia  bent  on  sheep-raising,  and,  quite  unique  among 
the  rest,  a  rich  old  Scotch  merchant  from  Edinburgh,  taking 
an  economical  sea  voyage  for  his  health.  He  tried  hard  to 
be  "one  of  the  boys,"  but  failed  dismally.  Most  of  the 
party  were  going  to  South  Africa  to  fight.  Having  failed 
to  secure  enlistment  in  desired  corps  at  London,  they  in- 
tended to  make  the  coveted  connections  at  Cape  Town.  A 
few  hoped  to  take  advantage  of  the  bustle  and  increased 
activity  at  the  Cape  to  obtain  employment ;  all  hoped  to 
make  their  fortunes  during  the  great  "  boom  "  which  was  to 
begin  in  the  gold-fields  immediately  after  the  end  of  the  war. 
It  was  interesting  to  doze  in  my  berth  and  listen  to  their 
talk.  English  dialect  and  Western  slang  harmonized  mu- 
sically, and  tales  of  war  and  peace  crossed  one  another 
before  reaching  my  bunk.  A  piratical-looking  fellow,  with 
a  broad  yellow  sash  and  a  long  stiletto,  told  tales  of  Moul- 
mein  and  Mandalay  that  made  me  think  of  Kipling's  "Bur- 
mah  girl,"  while  the  old  Scotch  merchant  crept  off  to  his 

i8 


FROM  THE  KLONDYKE  TO  CAPE  TOWN 


closed  berth  in  the   corner  to  nip  his  whiskey  alone,  never 
dreaming  of  passing  the  bottle. 

Quite  unexpectedly  the  Australasian  stopped  for  a  few 
hours  at  Teneriffe,  the  capital  city  of  the  Canary  Islands, 
where  with  a  party  of  the  other  passengers  I  went  ashore, 
and  strolled  about  until  my  steps  brought  me  to  the  Mus- 
cogne  Hotel,  over  which  flew  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  indica- 
ting that  the  American  Consul  lived  there.  Having  a 
general  letter  of  introduction  from  Secretary  of  State  John 
Hay  to  the  entire  American  diplomatic  and  consular  ser- 
vice (a  favor  obtained 
through  the  courtesy  of 
Senator  Penrose),  I  de- 
cided that  the  consulate 
at  Teneriffe  would  be  a 
good  place  to  try  this 
letter  and  find  out  just 
what  the  *' courtesies  " 
requested  in  my  behalf 
might  be.  I  entered 
the  hotel,  asked  for  the 
''Consul  Amerique," 
presented  my  letter,  re- 
ceived "the  glad  hand,"  and  promptly  accepted  the  hos- 
pitable official  invitation  to  dinner.  I  found  Consul  Ber- 
liner a  capital  fellow  and  a  credit  to  the  department.  The 
dinner  was  quite  as  much  so.  The  hotel,  while  pre- 
tending to  be  English,  was  very  Spanish.  The  other 
guests  were  about  half  Spanish  and  half  English.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Consul,  I  had  the  honor  of  being 
the  only  American  on  the  island.  The  Englishmen  present 
were  very  quiet  and  had  little  to  say,  for  a  cablegram  had 
just  been  received  from  the  Cape  telling  of  General  Buller's 
reverse  at  Tugela  and  giving  his  official  report.    The  Spanish 

19 


Troopship  Assaye.      Cape  Town  Docks. 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

were  in  high  spirits ;  in  fact  they  made  every  English 
reverse  the  occasion  of  much  merriment  and  rejoicing.  The 
Consul  was  diplomatically  neutral,  and,  taking  my  cue 
from  him,  so  was  I.  I  was  greatly  pleased  to  note  that  the 
late  unpleasantness  between  America  and  Spain  did  not 
have  any  effect  on  my  treatment  by  the  Spaniards  at  Ten- 
eriffe.  The  men  were  courteous  with  the  traditional  Span- 
ish dignity,  through  which  I  was  unable  to  detect  any 
aversion,  while  the  charm  of  the  ladies  was  such  that  I 
am  sure,  had  they  defended  San  Juan,  the  Rough  Riders 
would  have  rushed  up  the  hill  to  surrender  even  faster  than 
they  did  to  conquer. 

The  remainder  of  the  voyage  was  uneventful.  Christmas 
and  New  Year's  day  were  celebrated  by  appropriate  exten- 
sions of  the  usually  monotonous  menu  and  the  contribution 
of  bottled  beer  by  the  captain.  We  drank  his  health,  the 
Queen's  and  the  President's,  nearly  everybody  else's  of  im- 
portance, and  each  others'.  Then  we  went  to  our  bunks  to 
digest  and  sleep,  after  which  there  were  athletic  contests  on 
deck,  followed  by  dreary  singing,  accompanied  by  deplor- 
ably unskillful  *' vamping  "  on  the  small  and  rickety  deck- 
piano  brought  up  for  the  occasion.  Then  another  storm, 
more  sea-sickness,  and  at  last  Cape  Town. 


20 


CHAPTER  III. 

GETTING    A    WAR    LICENSE    UNDER     DIFFICULTIES THE    FIRST 

COUP. 

[LANDED  with  exactly  seven  guineas  in  my  purse, 
equivalent  to  about  thirty-six  dollars  in  American 
money,  and  I  made  the  securing  of  a  boarding-place  my 
first  duty.  I  went  to  a  cheap  hotel  with  my  baggage,  and 
then  putting  on  my  best  clothes,  in  order  to  properly  play 
the  part  of  "  a  distinguished  American  journalist,"  I  called 
on  Colonel  J.  G.  Stovve,  U.  S.  Consul  General  for  South 
Africa,  to  whom  I  had  strong  letters  of  introduction.  The 
Colonel  gave  me  a  royal  welcome,  and  instinctively  I  knew 
that  he  was  a  man  in  whom  I  could  confide.  So  I  told  him 
my  whole  story  down  to  the  thirty-six  dollars,  now  shrunk 
to  thirty-four.  Colonel  Stowe  looked  thoughtfully  at  me  for 
a  few  moments,  and  then  rapidly  wrote  a  letter  which  he 
handed  to  me,  saying,  *'  Take  this  to  the  Censor's  office  and 
he  will  give  you  a  press  license  that  will  enable  you  to 
draw  rations,  and  you  can  go  to  the  front  at  once,  where  it 
won't  cost  you  anything  to  live.  That  will  keep  you  going 
until  money  begins  to  come  from  the  articles  you  write. 
No  thanks  necessary  ;  you'll  find  the  Press  Censor  at  the 
Castle  Barracks.  Come  and  tell  me  how  you  make  out- 
good  luck  to  you." 

Arriving  at  the  Censor's  office,  I  found  a  notice  posted 
to  the  effect  that  positively  no  more  licenses  would  be  issued 
to  newspaper  correspondents.  Ignoring  the  notice  I  went 
in  and  presented  my  letter,  which  was  one  of  introduction, 
requesting  a  license.      Major  Evans,  P.  C.   (Press   Censor), 

21 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


politely  but  firmly  called  my  attention  to  the  notice  on  the 
door,  and  regretted  his  inability  to  do  anything  for  me, 
naming,  as  a  comforter,  several  distinguished  men  who  also 
had  been  refused.  I  sadly  left  the  office  and  returned  to 
the  Consul's  office.  Colonel  Stowe  could  do  nothing  more. 
Then  I  realized  that  war  correspondence  on  the  accredited 
plan  was  out  of  the  question,  so  I  spent  the  remainder  of 
the  day  looking  for  a  cheaper  lodging,  in  preparation  for  a 
long  period  of  profitless  waiting.  The  next  morning  I 
moved  into  new  quarters,  a  boarding-house  filled  with  refu- 
gees from  the  Rand,  Eng- 
lishmen, or  sympathizers 
with  their  cause,  expelled 
from  the  Transvaal  by  the 
Boers  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war.  They  were  a 
hard  lot,  but  very  inter- 
esting. The  house  was 
unique — two-storied,  with 
deep  and  broad  verandas 
in  front  covered  with 
wicker  chairs,  in  which 
the    forty-odd     boarders 


-ikiir 


Horse  Mart  on  Parade  Square,  Capetown. 


spent  most  of  the  warm  afternoons  dozing  or  discussing 
the  war.  The  furnishings  were  crude,  but  the  parlor  and 
dining-room  were  gorgeous  with  hundreds  of  gilt-framed 
chromos  and  paper  flowers  in  profusion.  Small  curios, 
corals,  shells,  skins  and  horns,  photographs  and  sofa- 
cushions  were  piled  in  every  chair  and  corner  of  the  parlor, 
while  the  dining-room  and  hallway  were  equally  stuffy  ; 
yet  the  whole  effect  was  delightful,  creating  an  atmosphere 
of  civilized  barbarity,  semi-Bohemian,  odd,  grotesque  ;  in 
all,  unique.  The  landlady  was  rough  but  kind-hearted, 
the  meals  were  good  and  well  served,  and  the  terms  were 

22 


GETTING  A  WAR  LICENSE 


one  pound  per  week,  payable  in  advance — strictly  no 
credit. 

After  noon  I  called  again  at  the  Censor's  office  to 
make  a  few  inquiries,  but  found  him  still  obdurate.  Then 
I  hunted  up  the  office  of  the  Principal  Medical  Officer,  and 
volunteered  my  services  as  a  stretcher-bearer,  adding  that  I 
was  a  correspondent  who  had  been  refused  a  license,  and 
that  I  wanted  to  see  something  of  the  fighting,  preferring 
the  ambulance  service  to  enlisting,  as  I  would  have  more 
certainty  of  seeing  actual  fighting  in  that  department. 

The  P.  M.  O.,  as  he  was  called,  was  a  kind  looking  old 


Rand  Refugees  Camping  on  the  Sand  at  East  London  after  expulsion  from 
the  Transvaal  at  the  beginning  of  the  War. 

gentleman,  who  became  interested  at  once  in  the  young 
American  who  had  come  ten  thousand  miles  to  see  the  war, 
but  told  me  that  he  could  not  possibly  accept  my  services. 
Then  he  asked  who  refused  to  issue  my  Hcense,  and  when 
I  answered  he  said,  '*  Vou  went  to  the  wrong  man.  Major 
Evans  has  no  authority  ;  he  is  only  a  clerk.  Go  to  Colonel 
Trotter,  Chief  of  Staff;  he  is  in  supreme  command  here,  and 
can  issue  you  a  pass  if  he  cares  to.  I  wish  you  success." 
Colonel  Stowe  gladly  gave  me  a  letter  to  Colonel  Trotter, 
and  as  I  knew  that  the  Chief  of  Staff  and  the  P.  M.  O.  prob- 
ably stopped  at  the  same  hotel,  I  waited  until  the  next  day, 

23 


WITH  ''  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 


hoping  that  they  would  meet  at  dinner  or  during  the  even- 
ing, when  the  kindly  P.  M.  O.  might  happen  to  mention  the 
matter.  Something  of  this  kind  must  have  happened,  for 
the  next  morning,  when  I  called  on  the  Chief  of  Staff,  he  was 
extremely  courteous,  and  promptly  wrote  an  order  to  the 
Press  Censor  to  issue  me  a  license.  When  I  saw  that  officer 
and  presented  the  order  he  w^as  plainly  annoyed,  told  me  it 
was  evidently  a  mistake,  and  asked  me  to  call  the  next  day. 


.*r 

^^^h 

II 

1^^ 

m  ^^^«    "^fe 

Artist  and  War  Correspondent  Mortimer  Menpcs,  of 
examining  a  Lee-Metford  Rifle. 


Ijlack  and  White," 


Oscillation  between  hope  and  despair  was  becoming  un- 
bearable ;  but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  it  seemed 
weeks  before  the  arrival  of  the  appointed  hour.  The  fol- 
lowing afternoon  at  four  o'clock  I  made  my  last  call  on  the 
Censor.  A  magical  change  had  come  over  him,  and  he 
was  affability  personified.  **  It  is  very  irregular,  you 
know,"  he  said,  **but  you  Americans  seem  to  get  every- 
thing you  want."  Then  he  asked  to  see  the  credentials 
from  my  paper.     This  was  what  I  had  feared.      However, 

24 


GETTING  A  WAR  LICENSE 

I  produced  my  two  letters,  which  he  threw  down  after  a 
glance,  saying,  "  These  won't  answer  at  all.  You  will  have 
to  cable  to  your  paper  for  proper  recognition."  This  I 
knew  would  be  folly,  for  they  would  not  answer.  The  sit- 
uation was  critical.  Having  all  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose, 
I  decided  to  be  a  little  independent.     So  I  replied, 

**  I  have  no  authority  to  use  the  cable  in  my  correspond- 
ence ;  I  am  writing  descriptive  articles  only  and  taking  pho- 
tographs. If,  however,  you  desire  it,  I  will  write  and  have 
the  credentials  mailed  to  you  ;  and,  meanwhile,  if  I  am  as- 
signed to  some  force  at  the  front,  I  will  be  where  you  can 
reach  me  if  they  don't  come."  The  Major  hesitated,  so  I 
added,  *'  If  I  fail  to  receive  this  license  I  will  be  compelled 
to  go  up  the  east  coast  to  Delagoa  Bay,  enter  the  Trans- 
vaal, and  then  there  will  be  simply  one  more  Ameri- 
can correspondent  writing  pro-Boer  articles  for  American 
papers." 

Then  the  Major  decided  to  give  me  the  desired  license. 
I  signed  a  printed  form  binding  me  to  abide  by  certain  rules, 
and  I  received  the  precious  bit  of  paper,  which  assigned  me 
to  General  Gatacre's  division.  The  Major  wrote  *'  Pro- 
visional" across  the  top,  and  added,  "If  I  fail  to  receive 
your  credentials  within  two  months  your  license  will  be  re- 
called, and  you  will  be  brought  down  from  the  front  under 
guard." 

I  was  not  much  impressed  by  this  remark,  for  I  felt  that 
it  was  a  **  bluff,"  and  that  the  Major  would  forget  all  about 
it  in  much  less  time.  In  fact,  he  was  removed  from  Cape 
Town  to  another  command  soon  afterward,  and  his  succes- 
sor never  knew  anything  about  the  matter.  I  drew  my  pen 
twice  through  the  word  **  Provisional,"  and  wiped  that  part 
out  of  existence  so  far  as  I  was  concerned.  Consul  Gen- 
eral Stowe  heartily  congratulated  me  on  my  success,  and 
a   few  hours    later    the    railway  authorities  issued    me    a 

25 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


general     railway    pass     on    presentation     of    my    military 
license. 

All  this  was  brilliantly  successful  ;  but  there  was  one 
drawback.  The  license  contained  a  clause  reading,  **  He  is 
authorized  to  draw  rations  for  himself  and  one  servant  and 
forage  for  one  horse,  on  payment''  On  inquiry,  I  learned 
that  the  rations  would  cost  five  shillings  per  diem,  payable 
weekly  in  advance.  The  forage  for  the  horse  would  be 
the   same,  but  that  didn't  bother   me.      I   myself  was  the 

obstacle,  with  my  healthy 
appetite  and  regular  hab- 
its of  eating. 

Evidently,  I  had  to 
find  some  way  of  raising 
money  if  I  were  to  follow 
the  campaign  for  any 
period.  After  consulta- 
tion with  the  Consul  I 
wrote  a  letter  stating  the 
particulars,  which  he  en- 
dorsed with  his  signature, 
to  one  of  the  papers  which 
had  given  me  a  letter,  and  offered  them  a  fully  accredited 
correspondent  in  the  field  for  the  minimum  amount  on  which 
I  could  exist,  namely,  twenty  dollars  per  week,  and  re- 
quested that  my  acceptance  be  cabled  with  a  substantial 
money-order.  This  I  mailed,  and,  knowing  that  even  a 
cable  reply  would  take  over  a  month  to  reach  me,  I  began 
to  make  new  plans  as  to  how  to  exist  till  then  on  what 
resources  I  had  remaining  ;  these  resources  amounted  to 
four  days'  board  (already  paid  for)  and  twenty  dollars  in 
cash. 

My  first  duty  was  to  look  around  for  some  quiet,  inex- 
pensive place  in  the  country,  where  I  could  wait  until  I  re- 

26 


Mr.  Cecil  Rhodes  boarding  the  S.  S.  Nor- 
man for  England,  March,  1 900,  after 
the  relief  of  Kimberley. 


GETTING  A  WAR  LICENSE 

ceived  further  credentials  and  money  from  America.  I  had 
not  the  sHghtest  doubt  that  my  offer  of  "  a  correspondent 
in  the  field"  would  be  accepted,  but  I  counted  on  a  month 
of  inactivity.  As  I  still  had  four  days'  credit  with  my  land- 
lady, I  spent  the  next  few  days  looking  around  Cape  Town. 
With  its  sixty  thousand  inhabitants  ;  its  fine  buildings,  some 
of  them  eight  stories  high,  equipped  with  express  elevators  ; 
its  well-paved  streets,  traversed  by  trolley  lines  ;  its  luxu- 
rious hotels,  on  the  piazzas  of  which  I  spent  much  of  the 
time  ;  its  handsome  churches  ;  its  tastefully  dressed  women 


Squad  of  London  City  Imperial  Volunteers  at  Cape  Town. 

thronging  the  streets  on  shopping  days  and  filling  the  aisles 
of  up-to-date  department  stores — I  frankly  admit  I  was 
greatly  surprised,  for  I  had  vaguely  imagined  South  Africa 
a  kind  of  magnified  zoological  garden,  where  the  white  in- 
habitants carried  rifles  to  protect  themselves  from  the  wild 
animals  and  natives.  Without  exception.  Cape  Town  is 
surrounded  by  the  most  beautiful  suburbs  I  have  ever  seen 
— little  one-story  houses,  whitewashed,  and  encircled  by 
broad  verandas  ;  veritable  architectural  jewels,  encased  in 
a  setting  of  trees,  shrubbery  and  vines,  brilliant  with  gay- 

27 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

colored  flowers,  occupied  by  cool-looking,  white-dressed 
people,  who  seemed  to  be  enjoying  a  continual  vacation 
from  work  and  worry.  Through  the  centre  of  the  town 
the  municipal  gardens  stretch,  flanked  by  a  magnificent 
avenue  of  thick,  high  trees  a  mile  or  more  up  the  slope, 
ending  at  the  very  foot  of  Table  Mountain,  which  rises 
abruptly  nearly  four  thousand  feet  above  the  bay,  flat- 
topped  and  cloud-lined,  a  landmark  for  a  hundred  miles. 
Half  an  hour  by  train  brings  one  to  Muisenberg,  the  fash- 
ionable seaside  resort,  where  unsurpassed  sea-bathing  may 
be  enjoyed.  The  same  time  on  the  trolley  brings  one  to 
Grootschure,  Cecil  Rhodes'  home  and  semi-public  gardens, 
filled  with  a  large  variety  of  zoological  specimens,  a  favorite 
Mecca  for  holiday  pleasure-seekers. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  city  thousands  of  khaki-clothed 
soldiers  were  encamped,  fatigue  details  trailing  off  through 
the  streets  of  Cape  Town,  the  scarlet  coats  of  the  very  few 
in  dress  uniform  giving  a  slight  touch  of  the  military  color 
I  had  expected  to  find  at  this  great  base  of  operations. 
The  prevalence  of  khaki  robbed  this  of  most  of  its  bril- 
liancy and  of  its  romance  ;  yet  a  few^  of  the  Tommies  man- 
aged to  look  very  smart,  and  found  plenty  of  flaxen-haired 
maidens  to  ogle  and  flirt  with  in  the  crowded  streets.  Up 
at  the  foot  of  Table  Mountain,  at  the  end  of  the  Gardens 
Avenue,  is  the  palatial  Mount  Nelson  Hotel,  built  to  cater 
for  the  diamond  and  gold  millionaires  from  the  North,  the 
accommodations  of  which  were  at  that  time  taxed  to  their 
utmost  by  the  throngs  of  aristocratic  officers,  with  their 
wives,  sisters  and  sweethearts  who  had  followed  the  army 
thus  far.  The  persistent  absence  from  the  front  of  many 
of  these  officers  "  on  leave  "  became  quite  a  scandal  until 
the  arrival  of  Lord  Kitchener,  who  stalked  through  the  cor- 
ridors one  day  asking  the  idlers  in  uniform  why  they  had 
nothing  to  do,  and  suggesting  that  at  his  next  meeting  he 

28 


GETTING  A  WAR  LICENSE 

would  "find  them  some  occupation  ;"  whereupon  the  red- 
collared  khakis  vanished,  the  scandals  ceased,  and  the  ladies 
languished.     Yes,  "  Lord  Kitchener  is  a  brute." 

Lord  Roberts  and  his  famous  Chief  of  Staff  arrived  the 
day  after  I  secured  my  license.  If  they  had  come  the  day 
before,  this  tale  would  have  been  very  different,  for  Lord 
Kitchener  at  once  put  his  mailed  hand  on  the  necks  of  the 
newspaper  contingent,  and  much  writhing  and  squirming 
ensued.  I  found  time  during  these  days  to  visit  a  Hugue- 
not seminary  at  Wellington,  sixty  miles  out  in  the  grape 
country,  where  I  regaled  myself  with  luscious  fruit,  but 
found  that  the  person  to  whom  my  letter  of  introduction 
was  addressed  had  returned  to  America  a  month  before. 
This  institution  was  another  revelation,  for  I  was  informed 
that  its  principal  supporters  were  the  back-country  Boers, 
who,  contrary  to  the  general  impression  created  abroad 
by  the  British,  spared  neither  time  nor  expense  in  the  educa- 
tion of  their  sons  and  daughters. 

The  local  newspapers  were  not  lacking  in  enterprise. 
Naturally,  in  a  city  half  full  of  Boer  sympathizers,  sur- 
rounded and  occupied  by  Imperial  troops,  every  bit  of 
news  from  the  front  was  eagerly  looked  for.  As  each 
new  telegram  from  the  front  arrived  an  "extra"  of 
"dodger"  size,  eight  by  ten  inches,  was  issued  from  the 
newspaper  offices.  While  the  presses  were  still  running,  the 
engineer  would  open  the  whistle-valve  and  an  agonizing 
scream  would  pierce  every  ear  for  miles  around.  Then 
windows  and  doors  opened  and  heads  protruded,  followed 
by  half  the  body.  Men  and  boys,  hatless  and  coatless, 
tumbled  out,  rushing  Hke  mad  down  town,  every  alley  and 
street  vomiting  its  contribution  to  the  dense  mob  which  as- 
sailed the  newspaper  offices  in  a  mad  fight  for  the  penny 
extras  ; — a  splendid  speculation  for  the  proprietors.  Then 
the  crowd  would  break  up  and  disperse,  streaked  with  swift- 

29 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


running  newsboys  selling  copies  to  the  laggards,  all  reading, 
as  they  slowly  returned  to  work  or  went  to  meals,  the  in- 
telligence that  Kimberley  was  or  was  not  relieved,  that  the 
situation  at  Ladysmith  was  unchanged  ; — reading,  perhaps, 
long  lists  of  killed  and  wounded,  the  news  being  joyful  or 
the  reverse  according  to  the  sympathies  of  the  reader. 
During  the  humdrum  intervals  between  the  specials,  the 
monotony  was  occasionally  relieved  by  a  few  regiments 
marching  through  the  streets  on  their  way  to  the  front ;  or 
perhaps  a  small  crowd  would  collect  to  watch  a  mammoth 

traction  engine  round  a 
H  '  Jmi^     ^^^^P     corner,     drawing 

■  ^.^■H^H     ^^^^  or  ten  heavily  loaded 

H  ^^^m^  Ml^im^^^^U     trucks  like  a  train  of  cars, 

each  turning  the  corner 
and  following  in  the  tracks 
of  its  predecessor  with  the 
precision  of  a  goods-train 
on  steel  tracks. 

My  favorite  lounging- 
n     •  ,    n       f       .X.        .AT  place,     thanks     to     kind 

Lronje  s  Guns  irom  the  captured  Laager     ^  ' 

at  Paardeburg.     Procession  on  Adderly     hospitality,  was  the  office 

Street,  Cape  Town.  of  the  American  Consul, 

who,  however  busy,  al- 
ways had  time  to  swing  around  in  his  chair,  give  me  a 
kindly  greetings  open  a  box  of  cigars,  and  wave  his  hand 
toward  a  pile  of  the  newest  home  papers — a  month  old, 
but  ever  welcome.  Here  I  met  Captain  Slocum,  the  Amer- 
ican military  attache  ;  Howard  Hillegas,  author  of  "  Oom 
Paul's  People ;"  Mackern,  of  *' Scribner's  Magazine;"  the 
Hon.  Webster  Davis,  just  beginning  his  extraordinary 
career  in  behalf  of  the  Boers  ;  and  half  a  dozen  of  the 
more  prominent  Rand  Americans,  engineers  and  opera- 
tors,   who,    with    characteristic    American    humor,    styled 

30 


orm  ^>^^[»fe  foj^PWewspftper  Correspondents. 

No.  of  Ocence.    / Q  v'T^ 

^M.U-^r^^.. 

having  signed  the  Declaration  attached  to  the  Rules  for  News- 
paper Correi^udents  accompanying  Troops  in  the  Field,  is 
herchy^censed  to  act  as  Correspondent  for  the , 

'!.lki/f?M[/f(il^..Uj^. ?<. 

with  iht^e«>m^^^ii^.-4X^.'.A^:T.-.y^^i'C<^ 
dated  at  .(^J-giCj^-^^^^^TWr.^^^ 

1^  -  i'w  --^  A-*- .  /A^^i^^ 

Ho    is    authorised    to    draw    Rations  for  himself   and   one 
servant,  and  forage  for  one  horse  on  payment.  /p^ 

^r1  C.A.A^yiAM^y^  A        Bji  ORDER.         ^ 

^  /  Z)^  // 

Author's  War  License  issued  at  Cape  Town. 
31 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

themselves  ''poor  refugees,  roughing  it  at  the  Mount  Nelson 
Hotel." 

With  a  supreme  effort,  and  on  the  advice  of  Consul 
Stowe  and  Mr.  Hillegas,  I  broke  away  from  the  fascination 
of  all  this,  deciding  to  go  at  once  to  the  front,  and  to  Gen- 
eral Gatacre's  headquarters,  spend  my  spare  time  there,  see 
something  of  the  country,  write  a  few  articles,  and  then 
return  a  month  later  for  the  reply  by  cable  to  my  letters 
sent  to  America. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  before  I  left  Cape  Town,  I  saw 
an  open  carriage  pass  my  boarding-place  drawn  by  two 
beautiful,  swift-trotting  horses.  The  livery  of  the  footmen 
and  the  crest  on  the  carriage-door  I  recognized  as  being 
those  of  Sir  Alfred  Milner,  Governor  of  Cape  Colony. 
Seated  in  the  carriage  were  a  gentleman  and  a  lady  ;  on 
the  opposite  seat  a  little  child.  The  man  wore  heavy 
spectacles  and  had  very  dark  eyebrows.  He  seemed  to 
see  everything  on  both  sides  of  the  street  at  a  glance. 
Though  I  had  never  seen  him  before,  I  recognized  him  from 
his  pictures  as  Rudyard  Kipling,  whose  arrival  the  papers 
of  the  day  before  had  announced. 

I  frankly  confess  that  as  the  carriage  turned  the  corner 
I  envied  Mr.  Kipling  all  he  had  acquired,  and  then  drowsily 
passed  into  a  series  of  day-dreams  and  air-castle  building, 
little  thinking  what  an  important  factor  Mr.  Kipling  was 
destined  to  become  in  helping  me  to  get  on  in  South  Africa. 
At  nine  o'clock  I  entrained  for  De  Aar,  four  hundred  miles 
north,  and  gratefully  found  that  my  free  pass  included  bed- 
ding in  a  first-class  compartment. 


32 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OFF    TO    THE    FRONT. 

EARLY  the  following  morning  I  was  awakened  by  the 
guard  calling  us  to  breakfast.  The  train  had  stopped 
at  Matjesfontein,  and  while  the  other  passengers  went  into 
the  station  restaurant,  I  opened  a  package  of  lunch  I  had 
provided  for  myself  and  ate  alone.  Then  I  walked  up  and 
down  the  long  platform,  smoking  a  cigar  and  watching  the 
other  passengers,  the  Tommies  on  guard,  and  the  officers 
idling  about,  until,  after  three-quarters  of  an  hour's  wait, 
the  train  moved  on  again. 

As  the  sun  ascended  higher  the  day  grew  warmer,  and 
one  by  one  the  other  passengers  in  my  compartment 
divested  themselves  of  their  coats,  waistcoats  and  shirts, 
and  we  sat  as  though  in  a  hot  oven,  the  wind  blowing  in 
through  the  open  windows  as  a  blast  from  a  furnace.  The 
train  ran  along  drearily  about  fifteen  miles  an  hour.  We 
were  in  the  great  Karroo  desert.  On  each  side  of  the 
track  the  country  stretched  flat,  dry  and  grey,  the  only 
vegetation  being  a  few  dried-up  bushes.  Now  and  then 
we  rattled  over  a  bridge  crossing  the  dry  bed  of  a  small 
stream  or  river.  At  each  of  these  places  there  was  a 
little  camp  with  a  company  or  so  of  soldiers  on  guard,  for 
a  rising  in  the  colony  was  feared,  and  the  first  move 
would  be  to  blow  up  all  the  railway  bridges.  Far  away 
on  the  horizon  the  faint  outHnes  of  mountains  could  be 
seen,  shining  whitely  in  the  sun  against  the  grey-blue  back- 
ground. Then  towards  afternoon  we  passed  a  few  conical 
kopjes,  which  soon  increased  in  number  and  size  until  for 
3  53 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

several  hours  we  were  passing  through  a  canyon  like 
that  of  the  Colorado,  with  just  such  a  small  river  running 
alongside.  As  evening  closed  in,  it  grew  cold  and 
chilly. 

At  daylight  next  morning  the  train  was  standing  still, 
and  I  was  told  we  had  arrived  at  De  Aar,  which  Kipling 
has  said  is  **  the  land  of  lies."  De  Aar  is  a  railway  junc- 
tion, contains  a  handsome  station  between  the  parallel 
tracks,  and  is  surrounded  by  half  a  hundred  or  more  small 
houses,    mostly    built    of   corrugated   sheet-iron.       A  few 


Boer  Farm  in  Cape  Colony,  near  Cape  Town. 

thousand  troops  were  camped  about  the  outskirts  of  the 
village,  and  the  entire  country  was  buried  ankle-deep  in  a 
fine,  powdery  dust,  slightly  alkaline.  Not  a  blade  of  grass 
was  to  be  seen.  A  few  trees  shaded  the  fronts  of  most  of 
the  houses,  but  they  were  white  with  this  same  fine  dust, 
which  penetrated  every  portion  of  car,  house  and  station  ; 
crept  into  one's  baggage,  sifted  into  food  at  meals,  lined 
our  collars  and  got  inside  our  clothes  ;  intruded  its  pres- 
ence into  every  inappropriate  place  ;  made  men  profane  and 
dirty,   and    altogether  stamped    itself   irrevocably    on  our 

34 


OFF  TO  THE  FRONT 

memories  as  being  "khaki,"  which  in  truth  is  an   Eastern 
word  whose  translation  is  "dirt." 

Stepping  out  of  the  car,  I  was  addressed  by  an  officer 
with  a  request  for  my  pass.  On  producing  my  Hcense  I 
was  directed  to  the  commandant's  office,  where  that  gen- 
tleman informed  me  that  I  should  have  continued  south- 
ward with  the  rest  of  the  train,  which  had  left  my  car 
standing  on  a  siding  at  midnight.     I  told  him  I  intended 


The  veteran  War  Correspondent  and  Artist,  Frederick  Villiers,  of  the  "  Illus- 
trated London  News,"  and  Artist  F.  Wilkinson,  of  the  Sydney  **  Daily 
Telegraph,"  at  De  Aar,  base  of  supplies  for  Lord  Methuen,  Cape  Colony. 

to  go  on  to  Modder  River,  and  he  replied  that  my  license 
was  made  out  for  General  Gatacre's  army,  and  that  only 
the  commanding  officer  at  Modder  River  could  give  me 
permission  to  proceed  thence.  As  this  was  the  column 
attempting  to  relieve  Kimberley,  and  I  was  anxious  to  see 
the  camp  and  meet  the  correspondents  there,  I  wired  at 
once.  Late  that  afternoon  I  received  a  courteous  reply, 
regretting  the   General's  inability  to   comply  with  my  re- 

35 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

quest.  Meanwhile,  in  possession  of  a  twenty-four-hours' 
pass  to  remain  at  De  Aar,  issued  by  the  commandant,  I 
wandered  about  the  town.  Being  forbidden  to  visit  the 
camps,  the  only  places  of  interest,  in  despair  I  went  to 
church  for  half  an  hour. 

But  it  was  too  hot  to  stay  there,  so  I  left  the  sweltering 
congregation  of  civilians,  with  a  few  officers,  and  went  to 
the  only  hotel  in  the  place.  On  the  way  I  heard  a  man 
say,  ''There  goes  Villiers,  the  war  correspondent."  I  im- 
mediately asked  him  to  point  out  Villiers  to  me,  and  a 
minute  later  introduced  myself  to  that  gentleman.  A  more 
courteous  reception  I  have  never  had.  I  accepted  his  in- 
vitation to  dinner,  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  with  him 
and  Mr.  Wilkinson,  another  artist,  from  Australia.  Mr. 
Villiers  gave  me  lots  of  advice,  gleaned  from  his  twenty 
years  of  experience  ;  prominent  among  which,  as  he  helped 
me  a  third  time  to  meat,  was,  '*  You  never  know  when  you 
will  get  your  next  meal  in  this  business,  so  make  it  a  point 
to  always  eat  two  or  three  at  once  when  you  get  the 
chance,  so  as  to  have  a  few  stored  away  in  case  of  need." 
By  following  this  advice  during  the  following  months  I 
maintained  my  strength  and  health,  while  a  dozen  or  more 
of  my  companions  collapsed  under  the  strain,  and  either 
spent  weeks  in  the  hospital  or  were  forced  to  retire  from 
the  field  altogether. 

That  evening  I  slept  on  a  pile  of  hospital  bedding  at  the 
station,  and  the  guard  woke  me  at  two  o'clock  to  take  the 
train  to  Naauport  Junction,  another  hundred  miles  away, 
southeast.  From  this  point  I  had  hoped  to  get  a  train  to 
Sterkstrom,  a  hundred  miles  farther  east ;  but  as  the  Boers 
had  destroyed  the  railway,  I  was  compelled  to  go  on  nearly 
two  hundred  miles  farther  south  to  Graham's  Town,  where 
a  post-cart  crossed  the  desert  to  King  William's  Town, 
the  beginning  of  a  branch  connecting  with  the  railway  run- 

36 


OFF  TO  THE  FRONT 

ning  from  East  London  on  the  coast  to  General  Gatacre's 
headquarters. 

Arriving  at  Graham's  Town  in  the  evening,  the  length  of 
my  journey  being  about  that  of  from  Paris  to  Rome,  I 
quickly  found  a  respectable  boarding-house,  where  I  spent 
the  night.  In  the  morning  I  made  inquiries,  and  found 
that  the  post-cart  only  ran  once  or  twice  a  week,  that  the 
charge  was  three  pounds,  that  the  distance  was  eighty-five 
miles,  and  that  people  had  been  known  to  '' walk  it." 
After  calling  at  the  local  newspaper  offices  I  had  a 
luncheon  prepared,  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
started  on  my  tramp  with  a  small  bundle. 

The  road  led  out  of  town  over  a  high  hill.  To  my  sur- 
prise, on  reaching  its  summit,  I  found  myself  on  a  level 
plain  of  fine  turf,  with  a  few  herds  of  cattle  scattered  about. 
The  next  eight  miles  was  ideal  golfing  ground.  Then  I 
noticed  the  road  turned  to  the  left,  while  the  telegraph  line 
ran  across  country  and  over  a  hill.  Judging  that  it  would 
come  back  to  the  road,  I  followed  the  wires,  and  after  half 
an  hour  saw  the  road  again.  A  mile  or  so  away  was  a 
building,  presumably  a  hotel.  I  was  in  a  large  field  en- 
closed by  wire  fencing.  A  few  ostriches  were  walking 
about.  Suddenly  a  huge  black  fellow  spied  me,  and  after 
a  moment's  hesitation  started  toward  me  with  a  ridiculous 
dancing  gait.  I  promptly  made  for  the  fence,  reaching  it 
just  in  time,  with  the  bird  stamping  furiously  close  behind. 
Diving  through  the  wires,  I  picked  myself  up  and  made  a 
few  sarcastic  remarks  to  his  lordship,  which  he  evidently 
failed  to  appreciate.  When  I  reached  the  road  again  I  de- 
cided not  to  take  any  more  short  cuts.  The  ostrich,  with 
its  horn-like  front  toe,  has  been  known  to  completely  dis- 
embowel a  man  ;  and  the  cocks,  especially  at  this,  the 
hatching  time,  are  very  dangerous. 

After  a  glass  of  milk  at  the  hotel  I  continued  my  walk 

17 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


in  the  dark  for  another  ten  miles,  the  last  two  of  which  were 
down  a  continuous  slope  between  high  mountains,  called 
Pluto's  Vale,  the  scene  of  an  extremely  bloody  native  war 
many  years  before. 

Then,  being  tired,  and  the  moon  being  heavily  obscured 
by  dark  clouds,  I  stepped  aside  a  few  yards  into  the  bush, 
and  with  my  bundle  for  a  pillow  lay  down  for  a  fev/  hours' 
sleep.  Toward  daylight  I  was  awakened  by  the  rumbling 
of  wagon-wheels,  and,  jumping  up,  saw  a  heavy  cart  passing. 


Pluto's  Vale,  Scene  of  a  Bloody  Native  War. 
mile  walk. 


A  bit  of  an  eighty-nine- 


drawn  by  ten  span  of  bullocks.  Running  after  it,  I  climbed 
in  behind,  made  friends  with  the  Kaffir  in  charge,  gave 
him  some  tobacco,  and  continued  my  sleep  on  a  pile  of 
empty  sacks,  which  poorly  broke  the  terrific  jolting  over 
the  stony  road. 

In  three  hours  the  cart  stopped,  the  driver  outspanned 
his  bullocks,  turning  them  loose  to  graze  near  a  small  rain- 
pond,  and  I  set  out  walking  again.  By  keeping  this  up, 
alternately  sleeping  on  bullock  carts  and  walking,  I  man- 

38 


OFF  TO  THE  FRONT 


aged  to  make  forty- five  miles  the  first  day.  Stopping  at  a 
hotel,  I  ordered  a  heavy  meal,  and  found,  to  my  surprise,  a 
tennis  court  and  several  very  pretty  colonial  girls  of  dis- 
tinct English  type,  well  educated,  and  dressed  in  a  style 
only  a  year  behind  that  of  London.  Then  I  continued  on, 
as  before. 

Three  mountain    ranges   and   two   rivers  were    crossed. 
Hotels  were  passed  every  twenty  miles.     Watering  places 


General  Gatacre  welcoming  General  Brabant  on  nis  arrival  at  Sterkstrom. 

were  ten  to  fifteen  miles  apart,  and  sometimes  I  grew  very 
thirsty  before  they  were  reached.  The  brush  was  thick 
with  cactus  and  thorn-bush.  A  few  ostrich  farms  were 
scattered  about,  but  for  the  most  part  the  road  trailed  care- 
lessly through  fenceless  wastes  over  which  some  colonics 
of  baboons  occasionally  scampered.  Tennis  courts  were 
at  every  hotel,  and  I  was  told  the  farmers  from  twenty  miles 
about  gather  at  these,  with  their  women,  every  Saturday 

39 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

afternoon,  oddly  contrasting  with  the  surrounding  wilder- 
ness. I  met  the  post-cart  from  King  William's  Town,  a  huge 
two-wheeled  affair  seating  six  persons,  and  drawn  by  four 
horses  at  a  gallop.  With  frequent  relays,  the  cart  makes 
the  trip  in  one  day.  I  kept  going  day  and  night,  toward 
the  end  of  the  journey  reaching  a  railway  in  course  of  con- 
struction, and  obtaining  a  lift  for  nine  miles  on  a  construc- 
tion train,  thus  arriving  at  my  destination  within  two  days 
and  four  hours  after  starting.  I  calculated  that  by  walk- 
ing I  had  lost  a  day  and  gained  three  pounds  sterling. 
A  train  for  the  main  line  left  within  an  hour  of  my  ar- 


«aiisi||pM» 


Divine  vServices  Sunday  Morning  at  General  Gatacre's  Headquarters  at 
Sterkstrom.      Civilian  visitors  in  the  foreground. 


rival,  and  by  noon  the  next  day,  without  further  adventure, 
I  arrived  at  Sterkstrom,  General  Gatacre's  headquarters, 
twenty  miles  from  Stormberg,  from  which  Gatacre  had 
conducted  a  '' masterly  retreat,"  after  losing  six  hundred 
men,  a  month  before.  Captain  Tennant,  intelligence  officer 
for  the  Third  Division,  acting  Press  Censor,  countersigned 
my  license,  and  at  last  I  was  a  full-fledged  war  correspondent, 
with  liberty  to  roam  as  I  pleased  throughout  the  district 
commanded  by  General  Gatacre. 

Captain  Tennant  introduced  me  to  two  other  correspond- 
ents, Mr.  Sheldon,  of  the  "  Cape  Argus,"  and  Mr.  Swallow, 
of  the   ''Central   News   Company"   and  the   "New  York 

40 


OFF  TO  THE  FRONT 

Journal."       He  was  an   Australian,   and   had   spent  some 
years  in  America. 

I  have  always  found  that  a  foreigner  who  has  been  in 
the  United  States  is  quite  a  different  man  from  his  coun- 
trymen who  have  not  had  that  advantage.  He  is  invaria- 
bly more  open-hearted,  generous  in  feeling  and  sympathetic, 
and  has  acquired  the  belief  of  our  glorious  West  that,  after 
all,  beneath  clothes  and  caste  all  men  are  brothers.  So  I 
indulged  in  confidences  with  Swallow  which  would  have 
damned  me  if  told  to  any  of  the  English  officers  or  corre- 
spondents. As  a  result  of  this  conference,  Swallow  advised 
me  to  temporarily  enlist  in  a  company  of  mounted  scouts, 
where  I  would  be  lodged  and  provided  for,  and  also  draw 
pay  of  four  or  five  pounds  per  month,  incidentally  having 
ample  time  and  opportunity  to  gather  material  and  to  do 
some  writing. 


. J 


Consul  General  Colonel  James  G.  Stowe  and   family  at  his  residence  in  the 
suburbs  of  Cape  Town,  Consular  Secretary  Miller  standing. 


41 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  ''SOLDIER  OF  THE  QUEEN  "  FOR  ONE  DAY  ONLY. 

THE  prospect  of  joining  Captain  De  Montmorency's 
scouts  was  very  seductive.  The  Captain,  who  is  a 
V.  C.  man,  has  a  reputation  for  being  in  every  fight  which 
comes  off.  The  insignia  of  the  company — a  white  skull 
and  crossbones  on  a  black  field — is  sufficiently  suggestive 
to  make  comment  superfluous.  I  met  the  Captain  at  the 
Press  Censor's  tent,  and  after  a  short  talk  I  wanted  to  enter 
service  under  him.  To  be  sure,  it  would  be  somewhat 
risky,  but  that  was  a  small  matter  in  comparison  to  the 
"copy"  I  should  be  able  to  obtain  while  out  scouting, 
commandeering  Boer  horses,  and  being  at  the  front  in  every 
battle  or  skirmish.  Then,  too,  how  fine  a  thing  it  would 
be  to  go  home  with  the  big  sombrero,  death's-head  ribbon 
and  black  ostrich- feather  on  my  head  !  There  was  also  the 
five  shillings  per  diem  pay,  which  was  increased  to  ten 
shillings  if  the  volunteer  furnished  his  own  horse.  All  of 
this  and  much  more  was  presented  to  me  in  an  alluring 
light  by  the  eloquent  friend  of  the  Captain,  who  was  helping 
him  recruit  and  who  had  suggested  the  matter  to  me. 

The  result  of  my  interview  with  the  Captain  was  that  in 
the  afternoon  I  visited  the  scouts'  camp  to  be  taken  on  trial 
for  a  day  or  so.  The  qualifications  were  ''an  ability  to 
ride  and  shoot  well,  and  to  speak  both  Dutch  and  Kaffir." 
The  last  two  were  to  be  waived,  provided  I  would  pass  the 
first  two.  About  five  o'clock  an  orderly  came  up  and  said, 
"  Captain  says  you  can  have  his  horse  now  if  you  want  to 
ride."      I  had  made  this   request  earlier  in   order   to  ride 

42 


"A  SOLDIER  OF  THE  QUEEN  " 


around  the  camp.     While   the  orderly  was  tightening  the 

saddle-girths   I    made  a    few  inquiries,    and  learned    that 

*' the  horse  was  as  quiet  and  gentle  as  a  lamb,"  and  I  made 

the  reflection  to  myself  that  the  lamb  referred  to  was  likely 

a  very  old  and  irascible  gentleman.     I  mounted,  and  then, 

trying   to  look  as   though  I  really  could   ''  ride  a  tiger  if 

necessary,"    as    I    had    assured    the    Captain    I    could,    I 

gathered  the  reins  in  my  hand  and  said  "  Get  up."     The 

brute  stood   still,  and   some   one   laughed.      I  tried  again  ; 

the    Captain    suggested 

that  I   dig    my    "  heels 

into  the  horse's    side." 

I  did  so,  without  effect. 

Then    a    lieutenant    of- 

ered  me  his  spurs,  and 

I     dismounted    to    put 

them  on.     When  again 

in  the  saddle  I  used  the 

spurs. 

The  pony  did  buck  a 
little  ;  then  he  ran  a 
mile  or  two  out  across 
the    veldt,     coming 

around  in  a  circle  and  hoofing  for  camp,  where  he  stopped 
so  quickly  that  I  slid  half  way  up  his  neck.  As  I  went  to 
my  tent  I  overheard  one  man  say,  ''Well,  he  stayed  on 
him,  anyway,"  and  I  felt  duly  gratified  by  the  compliment. 

The  next  morning  we  were  roused  at  half-past  four,  and 
all  of  us  washed  in  one  bucket  of  water.  My  turn  was 
not  the  first  on  the  list.  Then  we  were  ordered  *'  out  for 
drill."  I  took  my  place  at  the  end  of  the  line,  and  when 
fours  were  counted  I  found  my  number  to  be  *'one."  The 
order  ''  Column  fours,  trot !"  was  given,  and  I  took  my 
place  at  the  tail  of  the  column  alone.     An  officer  shouted 

43 


Death' s-Head  P'lag  of  Montmorency's 
Scouts.  "The  Death  or  Glory  Boys" 
under  General  Gatacre. 


WITH  "  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

"  Move  up  ahead  of  the  next  four,"  and  I  tried  to  do  so, 
but  found  that  the  new  horse  objected.  The  order  was  re- 
peated, but  not  carried  out.  The  Captain  rode  up  and 
asked  what  was  the  matter.  I  replied  that  my  number  was 
''  one  "  at  the  end  of  the  Hne,  and  that  I  intended  to  fall  in 
behind  the  column  alone.  '*  Quite  right,"  said  the  Captain, 
and  rode  off,  leaving  me  in  triumph,  all  through  the  intelli- 
gence of  my  steed,  while  the  other  officers  quite  ignored 
the  whole  affair.  Some  one  handed  me  a  tent-peg,  and  by 
its  aid  I  got  my  animal  into  motion  when  the  column  ad- 
vanced. Through  the  remainder  of  the  drill  I  managed 
all  right,  and  was  even  advanced  to  the  position  of  number 
three,  first  fours,  to  take  the  place  of  another  unfortunate, 
who,  too,  was  incompetent.  My  number  here  became 
three,  and  my  duty  was  to  hold  the  horses  of  the  others 
when  they  dismounted  to  fire.  When  this  occurred  I 
found  the  horse  of  an  officer  also  on  my  hands,  and  the 
whole  five  nearly  stampeded  with  me.  However,  I  kept 
them  together,  and  finally  imagined  myself  a  very  Autome- 
don. 

After  some  more  manoeuvring  the  Captain  ordered  the 
new  men  *'  to  fall  out  to  the  right,"  and  I  intuitively  knew 
that  the  supreme  test  was  about  to  come.  There  were  half 
a  dozen  of  us,  and  the  Captain  ordered  the  nearest  one  to 
ride  out  across  the  veldt  as  hard  as  he  could  go,  pass 
around  a  bullock-cart  half  a  mile  distant,  and  come  back. 
I  fell  back  a  little,  raised  my  stirrups  two  holes,  and  waited. 
I  was  next  to  the  last,  and  at  the  signal  from  the  Captain  I 
thwacked  my  noble  steed's  flanks  with  my  tent-peg,  and  he 
broke  into  a  gallop.  ''  Faster!"  I  heard  the  Captain  shout, 
and  I  struck  the  animal  on  the  neck,  and  the  easy  gallop 
quickly  became  a  dead  run.  I  was  nearing  the  bullock- 
cart  ;  the  animal,  in  response  to  a  pull  on  the  right  rein,  in- 
tended to  navigate  him  around  the  cart,  intelligently  turned 

44 


"  A  SOLDIER  OF  THE  QUEEN '' 

to  the  left,  veered  around  in  a  semicircle,  and  headed  for 
camp.  I  jerked  the  curb  rein,  which  resulted  in  a  very  pe- 
culiar motion  of  his  hind-quarters  ;  then  I  gently  slid  off, 
but  instead  of  alighting  on  my  feet  I  rolled  over  on  my 
back.  I  explained  to  the  Captain  that  the  hobnails  in  my 
shoes  interfered  with  the  free  movement  of  my  feet  in  the 
stirrups,  and  also  that  a  scout  had  warned  me  to  use  only 
the  curb  bit,  which  was  evidently  a  mistake  ;  but  he  only 
smiled  indulgently,  and  dryly  observed,  '*  I  am  afraid 
you  do  not  understand  these  South  African  horses,  you 
know."  I  had  previously  told  the  Captain  that  I  could  ride 
better  than  I  could  shoot ;  so  I  realized  that  once  more 
cruel  fate  had  tricked  me  into  hopeful  anticipations,  and 
that  again  I  was  a  victim  of  blasted  ambition.  The  above 
narrative  will,  I  hope,  sufficiently  explain  why,  instead  of 
being  a  *' scout,"  with  a  black  ostrich-feather  in  my  hat 
and  the  death's-head  hat-band,  with  five-bob  a  day,  looking 
for  a  good  horse  to  commandeer  and  raise  it  to  ten-bob, 
with  a  possible  V.  C.  in  the  future,  I  continued  to  be  only 
an  ordinary  war  correspondent,  attached  to  the  headquarters 
staff. 


45 


CHAPTER  VI. 

AN    ARMORED    TRAIN    RECONNOISSANCE. 

THROUGH  the  courtesy  of  Captain  Tennant  I  received 
a  pass  from  General  Gatacre  to  accompany  the  officer 
in  charge  of  the  armored  train  during  a  reconnoissance. 
This  was  an  exceptional  favor,  as  the  armored  train  is  con- 
sidered a  veritable  death-trap,  and  the  English  army  takes 
particular  care  not  to  allow  correspondents  accompanying 
its  forces  in  the  field  to  come  to  harm. 

At  about  9  A.M.  Lieutenant  Cosset,  in  command  of  the 
train,  signalled  the  engineer  to  **  go  ahead."  Captain  Ten- 
nant, divisional  intelligence  officer,  turned  up  at  the  last 
moment,  unexpectedly,  to  accompany  us,  which  was  lucky 
for  me,  as  he  was  able  to  point  out  many  places  of  interest 
while  Lieutenant  Cosset  was  occupied  with  his  duties. 

It  was  not  until  we  had  started  that  I  learned  our  direc- 
tion, orders  being  delivered  at  the  last  moment.  This  cau- 
tion was  necessary,  for  the  reason  that  Sterkstrom  was  a 
hotbed  of  rebel  sympathizers,  who,  if  possible,  would  warn 
the  enemy  of  the  armored  train's  prospective  movements. 
Just  before  starting  I  took  a  photograph  of  the  front  end 
of  the  train,  with  the  Maxim  gun  showing  at  the  port  hole  ; 
I  was  not  allowed  to  photograph  the  interior.  The  engine 
and  tender  were  encased  in  heavy  armor-plate,  and  sand- 
wiched between  two  ordinary  box-cars  protected  in  the 
same  way.  A  four-inch  aperture  for  observation  and  rifle- 
firing  purposes  extended  entirely  around  both  cars  near  the 
top,  while  sliding  doors  of  armor-plate  protected  the  Maxim 
guns. 

46 


AN  ARMORED  TRAIN   RECONNOISSANCE 

The  train's  force  included  about  thirty  men,  in  addition 
to  the  engine  crew,  who  were  non-combatants.  I  had  ex- 
pected that  we  would  proceed  eastward  on  the  Indine  line 
towards  Dordrecht,  but  to  my  satisfaction,  as  we  moved  out 
of  Sterkstrom,  Lieutenant  Cosset  whispered  *' Molteno " 
in  my  ear.  This  was  in  the  direction  of  Stormberg,  where 
the  battle  of  that  name  occurred  on  December  lo,  1899, 
and  Gatacre  was  defeated  with  the  loss  of  six  hundred  men. 
For  the  first  fifteen  miles  we  were  to  act  as  escort  to  the 
regular  daily  passenger  train  which  went  as  far  as  Cypher- 


Front  View  of  Arnioied  Iraiu  Showing  Lieutenant  Cosset  Signalling 
from  Molteno  to  Cyphergat. 

gat,  six  miles  this  side  of  Molteno.  Everything  went 
smoothly  until  the  heavy  grade  up  Bushman's  Hoek  was 
reached,  where  the  train  came  to  a  standstill  until  the  pas- 
senger engine  behind  came  to  its  assistance  and  pushed  us 
to  the  summit. 

The  run  on  to  Cyphergat,  three  miles  farther,  occupied 
only  a  few  minutes.  Lieutenant  Cosset  stopped  for  addi- 
tional orders,  after  which  he,  with  his  signal  corps,  mounted 
the  roof  of  the  car  to  exchange  signals  with  an  outpost  on 
a  kopje  three  miles  distant.      In  ten  minutes  we  were  under 

47 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

way  again,  going  more  slowly  until  we  reached  Police 
Carnp,  the  most  advanced  outpost,  about  four  miles  farther 
on.  From  here  our  progress  was  very  slow,  for,  though 
the  track  had  been  constantly  patroled,  caution  was  neces- 
sary until  Molteno  came  into  view,  and  we  saw  the  station- 
master  waving  a  white  flag,  which  showed  that  at  that  point 
at  least  the  line  was  clear.  We  then  steamed  at  a  more 
rapid  rate  to  the  station,  where  the  two  officers  and  I  left 
the  train  for  dinner  at  the  station  restaurant. 

Captain  Tennant,  who  had  some  important  matter  in 
hand,  left  us  here,  while  Lieutenant  Cosset  and  myself  or- 
dered dinner.  Molteno  was  neutral  territory.  The  residents 
were  Boer  sympathizers,  while  the  British  scouts  patroled 
the  town  constantly.  The  nearest  Boer  outpost  was  about 
five  miles  beyond,  while  from  the  high  kopjes  at  Stormberg, 
the  enemy's  main  camp,  a  full  view  of  the  entire  country 
back  to  Molteno  was  to  be  had.  Captain  Tennant  joined  us 
in  half  an  hour,  and  while  we  were  still  eating,  an  orderly 
entered  with  a  heliograph  despatch  for  him.  After  reading 
it  he  gave  us  three  minutes  to  finish  eating  our  eggs  ;  then 
we  ran  out  and  jumped  into  the  armored  train.  The  Cap- 
tain, of  course,  being  ranking  officer,  took  command,  and 
ordered,  *'  Stand  by  with  rifles  ready,  in  case  of  accident." 
The  sentries  on  a  kopje  behind  Molteno  had  observed  about 
forty  Boers  creeping  up  the  side  of  a  kopje  several  miles 
beyond,  and  in  the  direction  of  Stormberg.  The  informa- 
tion was  signalled  back  to  camp,  and  then  heliographed  to 
Molteno,  while  a  detachment  of  about  twenty  of  the  Cape 
mounted  police  was  sent  out  to  intercept  them.  The  doors 
of  the  armored  train  were  closed  and  fastened  on  the  in- 
side, and  we  crept  on  slowly — about  as  slowly  as  a  man 
would  walk.  The  officers  swept  the  country  with  their 
field-glasses,  occasionally  ordering  some  of  the  men  to 
keep  their  eyes  on  certain  spots. 

48 


AN  ARMORED  TRAIN   RECONNOISSANCE 

The  mounted  men  were  galloping  off  a  mile  to  our  right, 
toward  the  position  of  the  enemy.  Lieutenant  Cosset  was 
carefully  watching  the  track  to  guard  against  accident.  The 
Boers  had  a  special  hatred  for  the  armored  train  with  its 
murderous  Maxims,  and  they  constantly  tampered  with  the 
track,  spreading  the  rails,  laying  mines,  and  in  a  hundred 
clever  ways  prepared  traps,  always  endeavoring  to  leave  a 
harmless  appearance  in  order  to  lead  the  train  into  an  am- 
buscade. About  a  mile  and  a  half  out  of  Molteno,  a  spot  on 
which  I  was  keeping  my  glasses  fixed  developed  into  a  mov- 
ing object.  The  sharp  eyes  of  the  Captain  disentangled  the 
mass  into  a  small  body  of  horsemen  riding  furiously  away. 


Fortified  Station  Building  near  Cyphergat,  at  Bushman's  Hoek. 

This  was  on  the  left ;  the  expected  attack  was  to  come  from 
the  right.  On  both  sides  single  horsemen  were  to  be  seen 
riding  at  full  speed,  while  from  the  tops  of  the  kopjes  on  both 
sides  we  expected  to  hear  the  shrill  screams  of  shells  from 
the  enemy's  concealed  batteries,  if  they  were  willing  to  thus 
disclose  their  position.  We  moved  on,  every  man  hoping 
to  discover  a  body  of  the  enemy  within  rifle  or  Maxim 
range.  It  was  my  first  experience  on  a  man-hunt,  and  pro- 
portionately superior  to  the  excitement  of  hunting  game, 
as  man  is  superior  to  any  beast.  After  another  mile  the 
patrol  turned  sharply  to  the  right,  leaving  the  train  at  their 
rear.  We  waited  another  half  hour,  and  then,  as  they 
no  longer  needed  our  support,  retired  to  Molteno.  It  was 
4  49 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

not  until  then  that  I  reaHzed  the  strain  to  which  we  had 
been  subjected.  Thoroughly  fatigued,  I  threw  myself  down 
to  rest.  The  officers  and  men,  to  whom  this  was  an  every- 
day experience,  smiled  at  me,  but  not  disparagingly. 

Then  we  returned  to  Police  Camp,  where  I  accompanied 
Captain  Tennant  to  the  quarters  of  the  advance  scouts  on 
top  of  a  kopje  half  a  mile  from  the  railway.      From  here  a 


commandin 


q:  view 


of  the   neighboring  country  was  to  be 


Major  Nylen,  Cape  Mounted  Police,  and  Captain  Tennant,  Third  Divisional 
Intelligence  Officer  and  Press  Censor,  Heliographing  from  Cyphergat  to 
Sterkstrom.  The  mirror  reflecting  the  sun's  rays  can  flash  signals  eighty 
miles.     The  Morse  telegraphic  code  is  used. 


had,  and  the  Captain  pointed  out  the  more  important  stra- 
tegical features  to  me. 

On  the  return  trip  we  slipped  down  the  heavy  grade  from 
Bushman's  Hoek,  where  a  complete  horseshoe-curve  skirts 
the  edge  of  a  steep  embankment.  As  the  train  flew  along 
the  narrow-gauge  track,  rounding  sharp  curves  at  great 
speed,  it  seemed  that  it  must  leave  the  track  and  crash  down 
the  mountain  side.  Indeed,  I  felt  so  sure  that  this  would 
happen  that  I  kept  myself  braced  against  the  side  of  the 
car,  so  as  to  relieve  the  force  of  the  fall  when  it  came.     Of 

50 


AN  ARMORED  TRAIN   RECONNOISSANCE 


course  nothing  happened.  Lieutenant  Cosset  fully  knew 
what  he  was  about,  but  for  all  that  I  was  glad  to  reach 
Sterkstrom  camp  again  and  leave  the  train. 

At  this  time  General  Gatacre  was  much  broken  in  spirit, 
and,  in  the  opinion  of  those  who  had  known  him  a  long 
while,  a  greatly  changed  man.  Captain  Tennant  discouraged 
any  interviewing,  and  so  it  happened  I  never  came  into  per- 
sonal contact  with  the  General  other  than  by  a  mere  formal 
introduction,  which  he  acknowledged  without  comment. 
Among  the  officers, 
correspondents  and 
soldiers,  however, 
I  found  that  he  was 
highly  esteemed  as 
an  officer  and  a  gen- 
tleman. The  Tom- 
mies spoke  affection- 
ately of  him  as  "the 
old  man."  He  had 
the  reputation  of 
working  his  men 
very  hard  ;  yet,  it 
was  always  said, 
"  no  harder  than  he 
himself  worked."  All  sympathized  deeply  with  him  in 
the  disgrace  which  had  attended  his  reverse  at  Stormberg 
and  after  his  dismissal,  when  the  five  Irish  companies  were 
captured  at  Edenberg  and  the  blame  was  wrongly  laid  on 
his  shoulders,  he  being  made  a  scapegoat  to  satisfy  the 
public  clamor  in  England  ;  everyone  acquainted  with  the 
facts  was  loudly  indignant,  for  his  failure  to  relieve  the 
Irish  companies  was  said  to  be  entirely  due  to  orders  being 
sent  to  him  direct,  from  Lord  Roberts,  to  remain  where  he 
was,  until  it  was  too  late.    Months  after,  when  I  had  become 

51 


General  Gatacre  reads  a  Despatch. 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

a  guest  of  the  Boer  army,  I  heard  an  interesting  tale  about 
his  reverse  at  Stormberg.  General  Oliver  was  his  oppo- 
nent. Had  General  Gatacre  marched  half  an  hour  longer, 
on  that  disastrous  night,  instead  of  retreating,  he  would 
have  reached  an  impregnable  position  unoccupied  by  the 
Boers,  which  would  have  separated  General  Oliver  from 
the  rest  of  his  army.  Oliver's  retreat  would  have  been  cut 
off,  and  he  would  have  been  forced  to  surrender  to  General 
Gatacre.  The  failure  to  do  this  ruined  General  Gatacre's 
reputation  and  shattered  his  health.  This  is  a  striking  in- 
stance of  how  an  accidental  decision  the  wrong  way  at  a 
critical  time  diverted  victory  from  the  British  and  gave  it  to 
the  Boers,  and  is  one  of  many  instances  which  has  made 
South  Africa  *' the  graveyard  of  reputations." 

During  my  stay  at  Sterkstrom  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
accompanying  the  Deputy  Secretary  of  Agriculture  of 
Canada,  Mr.  W.  B.  Scarth,  and  his  party,  including  Captain 
Martyr  of  the  steamship  Montauk  and  the  Misses  Scarth. 
The  party  had  sailed  from  Boston  with  a  load  of  Canadian 
hay — a  gift  from  the  colony  to  the  Imperial  army.  Arriv- 
ing at  East  London,  they  went  to  the  front  in  a  special  car, 
and  I  met  them  at  Molteno,  the  most  advanced  outpost  of 
Gatacre's  command,  on  the  scouting  line. 

On  another  occasion  I  made  the  fifteen-hour  journey  by 
rail  from  Sterkstrom  to  East  London,  Cape  Colony,  and 
courted  certain  sea-sickness  for  the  purpose  of  going  out  on 
the  tug  to  the  steamship  Moor,  to  meet  Consul  Hay  on  his 
way  to  Pretoria.  The  Consul  promised  to  get  me  out  of 
prison  if  I  was  captured,  and  I  took  a  snap-shot  of  him,  which 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  presenting  to  him  personally  in  Pretoria 
five  months  later,  a  few  hours  before  Lord  Roberts'  occupa- 
tion of  that  city.  After  two  weeks  at  Sterkstrom,  during 
w^hich  I  made  repeated  trips  to  East  London,  it  began  to 
dawn  on  me  that  General  Gatacre  was  not  to  be  allowed  to 

52 


AN  ARMORED  TRAIN    RECONNOISSANCE 

take  any  further  active  part  in  the  war,  and  that  the  wily 
Press  Censor  at  Cape  Town  had  bested  me,  after  all,  by 
sidetracking  me  to  this  point,  while  the  real  campaign  was 
to  take  place  under  Lord  Roberts'  personal  supervision 
from  Modder  River.  So  I  decided  to  bid  farewell  to  my 
new  friends,  being  especially  sorry  to  leave  the  courteous 
Censor,  Captain  Tennant,  who  was  afterward  taken  prisoner 


Kaffir  Worknien  passing  through  Graham's  Town,  badly  frightening  the  inhab- 
itants,  who  mistook  the  band  for  a  hostile  Boer  commando. 

at  Edenberg,  and  I  started  again  for  the  Cape,  repeating 
my  eighty-five-mile  walk — being  less  fortunate  in  getting 
lifts,  and  one  night  straying  from  the  road  in  the  darkness 
and  rain,  becoming  hopelessly  lost,  and  being  compelled  to 
sleep  until  morning  in  the  wet,  when,  after  considerable  dif- 
ficulty, I  found  the  road  again  and  continued  my  walk  to 
Graham's  Town. 

So  ended  my  connection  with  the  Third  Army  Division 

53 


WITH   ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


in  South  Africa,  which  from  its  many  misfortunes,  dating 
from  Stormberg  and  continuing  thereafter,  affecting  almost 
every  officer  attached  to  it,  came  to  be  generally  spoken 
of,  in  the  words  of  Kipling's  ''Gentlemen  Rovers,"  as  "the 
legion  of  the  lost,"  or  ''the  cohorts  of  the  damned." 

By  this  time  I  had  begun  to  doubt  the  likelihood  of  the 
American  papers   doing  anything  to   help  me  financially, 

although  I  could  not  expect 
any  answer  for  a  week  or 
more.  I  had  succeeded  in 
spending  all  of  my  money  but 
fourpence.  However,  as  I 
had  two  large  pieces  of  bag- 
gage, I  did  not  hesitate  to  go 
into  debt  to  my  landlady  at 
Graham's  Town.  But  I  real- 
ized that  something  must  be 
done  to  properly  finance  my- 
self in  case  remittances  failed 
to  arrive  a  week  later. 

I  called  on  Messrs.  Grocott 

and  Sherry,  proprietors  of  the 

"  Penny   Mail,"    at   Graham's 

Town,   and   had   a  long  talk 

with  them.     They  agreed  to 

correspond  with  half  a  dozen 

other    colonial    papers,   with    a   view    of  their  collectively 

taking  special  service  from   me  as  their  correspondent  at 

the  front. 

The  plan  was  that  each  member  of  the  syndicate  was 
to  pay  five  pounds  per  month  for  the  service,  which  would 
mean  thirty  for  me,  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Mr. 
Grocott  gave  me  a  letter  of  authorization  to  represent  his 
paper  and  a  few  letters  of  introduction.     By  this  "deal"  I 

54 


The  Author  a  month  after  arrival  in 
South  Africa.  Two  weeks  on 
eight  cents,  and  no  prospects. 


AN  ARMORED  TRAIN    RECONNOISSANCE 

secured  the  credentials  I  had  hoped  to  get  from  America, 
and  which  I  needed  to  back  up  my  license.  But  the  money 
was  still  a  long  way  off,  for  the  different  members  of  the  syn- 
dicate insisted  that  I  should  send  my  daily  despatches  from 
Lord  Roberts'  headquarters  ;  and  I  must  by  some  means 
procure  a  transfer  from  General  Gatacre  to  the  Field 
Marshal's  Staff  in  order  to  do  this,  which  the  advent  of 
Lord  Kitchener  had  made  practically  impossible. 

However,  I  decided  to  make  the  attempt ;  and  with  my 
letters  and  credentials,  my  fourpence  in  cash,  and  a  pack- 
age of  lunch  put  up  by  my  landlady,  kind-hearted  Mrs. 
Kent,  who  knew  nothing  of  my  affairs  except  that  the  local 
paper  had  noticed  that  her  guest  was  a  *'  distinguished 
American  war  correspondent,"  I  started  back  on  the  two- 
day  railway  journey  for  Cape  Town  via  the  khaki-cursed 
De  Aar,  which  the  green  and  pleasant  camp  at  Sterkstrom 
made  doubly  hideous  by  comparison. 


55 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BEGINNING    ALL    OVER    AGAIN. 

MEANWHILE  I  had  telegraphed  to  the  Chief  Press 
Censor,  but  had  received  no  reply.  Expecting  this, 
I  hurried  on  to  Cape  Town.  There  I  hunted  up  the  Gra- 
ham's Town  representative  in  the  Cape  Parliament,  who,, 
fortunately,  was  strongly  loyal,  showed  him  Mr.  Grocott's 
letter,  and  was  introduced  by  him  to  Sir  Gordon  Sprigg, 
ex-Premier  of  Cape  Colony,  and  the  leader  of  the  loyal 
party  in  that  body.  I  persuaded  Sir  Gordon  to  write  a 
letter  for  me  to  the  Press  Censor,  requesting  the  addition 
of  the  Graham's  Town  *'  Mail  "  to  my  license,  and  that  it 
be  made  general.  On  presenting  this  at  the  Censor's  office, 
I  found  that  Major  Bagot  was  in  charge,  having  super- 
seded Major  Evans,  who  had  sent  me  to  Sterkstrom. 
Major  Bagot,  one  of  the  suavest  men  I  ever  met,  betrayed 
by  his  manner  of  refusal  that  he  had  no  power  to  act.  The 
newly  appointed  Chief  Censor,  Lord  Stanley,  had  gone  on 
to  Modder  River  with  Lord  Roberts,  for  the  advance  from 
that  point  was  about  to  begin. 

Major  Bagot  would  not  even  give  me  a  pass  to  go  to 
Modder  River  to  see  Lord  Stanley,  so  I  entrained  for  that 
point  without  it.  Of  course,  at  De  Aar  I  was  arrested  by 
the  guard,  so  I  forwarded  Sir  Gordon's  letter,  together  with 
a  personal  note,  to  headquarters,  by  a  friendly  officer,  who 
was  on  his  way  to  that  point.  No  answer  came  to  this  ;  so 
after  waiting  a  day  at  De  Aar  I  went  on  to  Graham's  Town 
again,  saw  Mr.  Grocott,  got  a  new  letter  addressed  to  the 
Chief  Censor,  and  started  back  for  the   Cape  by  way  of 

56 


BEGINNING  ALL  OVER  AGAIN 

De  Aar — a  proceeding  equivalent  to  having  gone  from 
London  to  Berlin,  finding  that  a  letter  had  been  misplaced, 
going  back  to  London  to  get  it,  and  immediately  returning 
to  Berlin.  On  reaching  De  Aar  I  found  my  letters  and 
telegrams  to  Modder  River  still  unanswered,  and  so  did  not 
stop.  Of  course,  by  this  time  my  fourpence  had  been  ex- 
tirely  exhausted.  I  had  sold  my  camera  for  two  pounds 
ten  shillings,  and  spent  most  of  the  money.  Mr.  Grocott 
had  kindly  advanced  me  more  money  after  hearing  the 
surprising  statement  that  I  had  lived  for  eight  days  on  eight 
cents.  Of  course  the  railways  furnished  my  sleeping  ac- 
commodations during  this  time,  and  for  meals  I  depended 
on  lunches  and  casual  invitations  to  dinner  from  the  many 
friends  I  was  continually  making.  Arriving  at  Cape  Town 
the  second  time,  I  asked  Sir  Gordon  Sprigg  for  another 
letter,  this  time  to  the  highest  authority  at  Cape  Town, 
General  Forrestier  Walker.  Presenting  this  at  the  Castle, 
General  Walker  gave  me  a  note  to  Major  Bagot,  ask- 
ing that  Sir  Gordon's  request  be  complied  with.  The 
Censor  relaxed  sufficiently  at  this  to  add  the  Graham's 
Town  *'  Mail  "  to  my  license  ;  but  as  for  advancing  me  to 
Modder  River,  all  I  could  induce  him  to  do  was  to  send 
the  following  telegram  to  Lord  Stanley,  Chief  Censor  with 
Lord  Roberts  : 

**  Unger,  American  press  correspondent,  also  represent- 
ing Graham's  Town  paper,  recommended  by  Sir  Gordon 
Sprigg  through  General  Forrestier  Walker ;  desires  to  pro- 
ceed to  Modder  River.  Signed,  Bagot,  Major,  P.  C. 
(Press  Censor)."  With  my  customary  modesty,  I  had  no 
doubt  that  this  would  result  in  an  invitation  from  Lord 
Roberts  to  be  his  personal  guest  during  the  rest  of  the 
campaign.  I  told  my  friends  that  I  was  going  on  to  the 
Modder,  wired  the  same  to  Graham's  Town,  and  received  a 
congratulatory  telegram    from    the    editor   of  that  paper. 

57 


WITH  *'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Well,  I  waited  all  that  day  for  Lord  Stanley's  reply,  and  as 
evening  drew  near  began  to  feel  intuitively  that  I  had 
scored  another  failure.  A  deep  fit  of  the  ''blues  "  fastened 
itself  on  me.  I  had  less  than  thirty  shillings  left,  all  my 
resources  were  exhausted,  the  time  had  passed  for  a  reply 
from  America,  and  I  realized  that  I  could  expect  nothing 
from  that  source — in  short,  I  was  "  up  against  it,"  and 
I  knew  it.  The  band  was  to  play  in  the  Municipal  Gardens 
that  evening,  and  I  walked  up  the  long  avenue  until  I  found 
myself  at  the  Mount  Nelson  Hotel. 

I  knew  Mr.  Kipling  was  staying  there,  and  the  impulse 
came  over  me  to  call  on  him.  I  sent  in  my  card,  and  a  few 
minutes  later  found  the  greatest  little  man  of  all  England 
looking  pleasantly  at  me  with  extended  hand,  saying, 

"Well,  what  are  you  doing  out  here?" 

I  briefly  told  him  of  my  aspiration  to  be  a  "youngster 
jerked  on  at  the  end  of  a  telegraph  wire  ;"  and  how,  now 
that  I  had  failed,  I  was  ready  to  attempt  my  last  alternative 
of  getting  captured  by  the  Boers  on  my  return  to  Sterk- 
strom,  and  try  my  luck  as  a  soldier  of  fortune  in  their 
army.      Mr.  Kipling  appeared  much  interested  and  said, 

"  I  like  your  nerve ;  but  why  don't  you  sink  your 
nationality  and  join  one  of  our  corps  of  rough  riders  or 
scouts?     There  you'll  get  the  real  thing." 

I  replied  that  this  would  prevent  my  having  the  neces- 
sary freedom  of  movement,  and  then  suggested  that  he 
take  me  with  him  as  his  secretary,  servant,  driver,  or  in  any 
capacity  he  could  use  me.  Mr.  Kipling  hesitated  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  put  me  through  the  most  exhaustive  ex- 
amination I  have  ever  had.  Could  I  cook,  pack  a  horse, 
ride  and  drive,  put  up  a  tent,  beg,  borrow  or  steal  forage, 
tell  the  truth  or  lie  if  necessary,  mind  my  own  business  and 
never  see  or  hear  things  not  to  be  seen  or  heard  ;  was  I 
"discreet,"  and  was  I  sure  I  would  not   "poison  him  with 

58 


BEGINNING  ALL  OVER  AGAIN 

my  cooking?"  And  then,  when  I  told  him  that  I  was  an 
old  Klondyker,  he  chopped  his  questions  abruptly  off  with, 

*'  Oh,  I  guess  if  you've  been  over  the  Chilkoot  you 
have  all  the  necessary  qualifications." 

My  hopes  by  this  time  had  reached  the  boiling-point, 
and  just  as  I  expected  him  to  say  *'A11  right,  I'll  take  you 
with  me,"  he  said  the  other  thing. 

*'  You  see,"  he  added,  by  way  of  explanation,  "  I  could 
never  have  a  man  in  the  same  line  as  myself  with  me.  You 
would  be  using  my  material,  and  if  you  wouldn't,  you 
should — I  would  in  your  place  ;  in  fact,  I'd  do  anything  to 
secure  a  beat  on  anybody  else."  I  heard  him  out  patiently, 
and  then  said, 

*'  But,  Mr.  Kipling,  I  hope  you  don't  think  for  a  mo- 
ment that  I  am  so  foolish  as  to  think  myself  in  the  same 
class  with  you  ?" 

**  That's  just  where  you  make  a  mistake,"  he  snapped 
out  energetically  ;  "  you  should  think  yourself  every  bit  as 
good  as  I,  and  make  it  your  object  to  beat  me  at  my  own 
game.  You  are  a  newspaper  man,  and  out  here  to  write 
what  you  see,  and  that  is  all  I'm  doing.  Keep  yourself 
thinking  that  you  can  do  better  than  I  can,  and  don't  let 
yourself  think  anything  else,  and  perhaps  then  you  will  be 
able  to  do  so."  Then  after  a  pause  for  breath  he  added, 
with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "But  I've  got  a  pretty  good 
start  on  you,  and  don't  intend  to  let  you,  or  any  one  else, 
catch  up  with  me  if  I  can  help  it." 

The  kindliness  of  his  manner  and  the  forcefulness  of  his 
remarks  were  a  powerful  stimulant  to  me,  and  I  felt  fully 
half  a  foot  taller  and  more  of  a  man  in  every  way.  As  I 
was  deciding  that  I  would  follow  his  advice  and  try  to  beat 
even  the  great  Rudyard  Kipling,  he  continued,  '*  No,  I'm 
no  good  for  you  ;  but  put  your  address  on  this  card,  and 
I'll  speak  to  a  few  fellows  I  know  who   might  be  able  to 

59 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

use  you,  and  then  let  you  know."  Then  he  gave  me  a 
hearty  grasp  of  his  hand,  said  *'  Good  luck  to  you,"  and  I 
walked  back  to  my  lodging-house  as  rich  in  optimism  and 
determination  as  any  South  African  millionaire  who  has 
ever  passed  out  of  the  Mount  Nelson  Hotel  in  the  good  old 
days  before  the  war. 


The  Battlefield  of  Spionkop.  This  photograph  has  the  unique  distinction  of 
having  been  subjected  to  an  attempted  suppression  by  two  Governments. 
Representing  the  British  dead  on  the  field  of  Spionkop  three  days  un- 
buried,  with  pockets  turned  inside  out  and  shoes  taken  off,  the  Boers  did 
not  relish  this  evidence  of  their  love  of  loot.  On  the  other  hand,  being 
evidences  of  the  terrible  slaughter  inflicted  on  the  English,  Lord  Roberts 
ordered  the  confiscation  and  destruction  of  all  plates  and  prints  at  Bloem- 
fontein.  Both  Boer  and  British  attempts  at  suppression  failed,  and  a 
large,  surreptitious  sale  of  the  Spionkop  pictures  was  carried  on,  at  eight 
shillings  each. 

I  began  to  hope  for  a  favorable  reply  from  Modder  River, 
and  the  next  morning  took  up  my  stand  at  the  Censor's 
office  and  spent  the  day  there.  Still  no  reply.  Another 
day  passed  in  the  same  way,  and  as  no  word  came  from 
Mr.  Kipling  either,  I  felt  the  blues  coming  on  again.    Mean- 

60 


BEGINNING  ALL  OVER  AGAIN 

while  the  first  report  of  General  French's  advance  through 
the  Free  State  was  handed  out  at  the  Censor's  office,  and 
for  ten  minutes  I  fought  like  a  tiger  with  half  a  dozen  other 
correspondents  for  the  privilege  of  copying  it,  and  then 
rushed  it  off  by  wire  to  Graham's  Town.  Incidentally  the 
same  message  was  sent  by  an  agency  in  Cape  Town,  but 
allowing  for  delay  in  recopying,  I  succeeded  in  getting  my 
message  delivered  ten  minutes  earlier,  which  gave  ''  The 
Mail  "  a  chance  to  issue  its  extra  a  few  minutes  before  its 
local  rival,  which  was  a  member  of  the  same  agency.  When 
the  excitement  subsided  I  began  to  fret  and  worry  to  get 
back  to  the  front  at  once.  So  I  tackled  the  Censor  once 
more,  and  got  him  to  promise  to  forward  the  Modder  River 
reply  to  De  Aar,  so  that  I  could  proceed  at  least  that  far 
on  my  journey  and  save  precious  time.  I  was  now  reduced 
to  just  one  pound  sterling,  and  with  a  big  package  of  lunch 
entrained  for  the  North  again. 

All  that  night,  then  all  the  following  day,  hot  and  dusty, 
through  the  Great  Karroo  Desert,  my  fifth  trip,  and  then 
all  night  again,  and  I  was  at  De  Aar.  Inquiries  at  the 
Commandant's  office  found  no  message  for  me.  At  9 
A.  M.  the  train  left  for  Modder  River,  and  as  I  had  be- 
come desperate,  I  managed  to  elude  the  guard  and  go 
along.  But,  alas  !  half-way,  at  Orange  River,  I  was  not 
able  to  show  satisfactory  cause  for  being  on  the  train,  and 
was  promptly  put  under  arrest  and  marched  off  to  the 
Commandant's  office  by  a  triumphant  sergeant.  Of  course 
I  was  not  idiotic  enough  to  allow  that  individual  to  do  any 
talking  to  the  Commandant.  I  simply  put  on  my  most  in- 
jured and  innocent  air  and  began  "to  explain  things." 
After  talking  a  while,  the  very  polite  officer  said  he  was 
sorry  he  did  not  have  authority  to  allow  me  to  go  on  to 
the  Modder  River,  but  that  I  could  telegraph  to  the  Chief 
of  Staff  there  for  the  necessary  permission.      I  grudged  the 

61 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

few  paltry  shillings  this  message  cost  me,  especially  as  I 
knew  so  well  the  uselessness  of  sending  it ;  but  off  it  went, 
for  I  did  not  dare  allow  my  bluff  to  be  "  called"  by  not 
doing  so,  and  the  very  polite  officer  promptly  censored  it 
himself  to  avoid  delay.  The  reply,  which  I  knew  would 
not  come,  could  not  be  expected  anyway  for  several  hours, 
so  though  I  was  nominally  under  arrest  for  the  time  being 
I  wandered  away  from  the  station,  found  the  office  of  the 
local  chief  of  staff,  and  asked  him  to  add  the  Orange  River 
District  to  my  license.  This  he  obligingly  did,  not  think- 
ing it  would  do  me  any  good,  and  being,  as  the  English 
officer  always  is,  a  courteous  gentleman. 

However,  in  having  the  freedom  of  the  Orange  River 
District  I  had  made  some  progress,  and  when  night  came, 
and  still  no  message  for  me,  I  boarded  a  goods  train  and 
went  back  to  De  Aar,  where  I  hunted  up  a  first-class  car- 
riage, with  all  its  accommodations,  took  a  bath  and  slept 
the  sleep  of  the  just  until  morning,  when  I  discovered  that, 
as  usual,  no  message  for  **  Unger,  American  press  corre- 
spondent," had  come  yet. 

Then  I  heard  the  news  that  Kimberley  had  been  relieved, 
with  great  vexation  at  having  missed  that  show.  Becoming 
fully  desperate,  I  took  the  morning  train  back  to  Orange 
River,  as  was  now  my  privilege,  concealed  myself  in  a  top 
bunk  under  a  lot  of  baggage,  and  succeeded  in  passing  the 
guards  at  that  place,  although  I  was  nearly  suffocated  for 
five  hours  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  while  the  train  waited. 
At  midnight  we  reached  the  long-sought  Modder,  where  I 
was  to  beard  the  lion  Chief  Censor  in  his  den,  and  either 
get  what  I  wanted,  or  escape  to  the  Boer  lines,  or  be  sent 
back  to  Cape  Town  under  a  guard  in  disgrace,  and  de- 
prived of  my  original  license  with  all  its  privileges,  includ- 
ing my  precious  railroad  pass.  A  guard  came  in  to  inspect 
passes.      I   pretended   to   be   asleep,   and   when  awakened 

62 


BEGINNING  ALL  OVER  AGAIN 

drowsily  showed  my  Gatacre  license.  He  took  down  a 
name  and  told  me  to  report  to  the  Commandant  in  the 
morning,  then  left  me  to  another  night's  virtuous  slumber. 

In  the  morning  I  discovered  that  Lord  Stanley  had  gone 
on  to  Jacobsdal,  with  the  headquarters  staff  and  the  army, 
in  pursuit  of  General  Cronje.  I  called  on  the  Commandant, 
who  referred  me  to  the  Chief  of  Staff,  who,  in  turn,  being 
very  busy  and  anxious  to  get  rid  of  me,  and  assuming  that 
I  had  been  there  a  long  time  as  a  correspondent,  obligingly 
complied  with  my  request  for  a  pass  for  the  local  outpost. 
I  was  then  ready  to  follow  up  the  army  to  Bloemfontein, 
always  being  '*  on  my  way  to  see  Lord  Stanley  "  and  care- 
fully avoiding  finding  him,  and  was  about  to  start  out  on 
foot,  trusting  to  Providence  to  find  me  horses  later  on. 
How  I  was  to  keep  on  living  on  my  remaining  ten  shil- 
Hngs  I  did  not  like  to  think  about,  but  would  trust  to  luck. 
Having  had  such  a  hard  time  so  far,  I  was  determined  to 
get  to  the  worst  of  it  as  quickly  as  possible. 

At  this  juncture  I  met  Major  Pollock,  w^ho  had  repre- 
sented the  London  **  Times"  at  Sterkstrom.  He  introduced 
me  to  Mr.  Amery,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  entire  '*  Times" 
staff  of  correspondents.  They  were  discussing  means  of 
getting  their  despatches  from  the  army  back  to  the  Modder 
River  station  telegraph  office.  They  had  several  men  in 
view  to  carry  them,  but  I  did  not  allow  that  fact  to  pre- 
vent my  suggesting  that  they  take  me  along  for  the  pur- 
pose. It  did  not  strike  them  very  forcibly  at  first,  until 
suddenly  Mr.  Amery  turned  to  me  and  asked, 

**  What  is  your  name?"  I  answered  him,  and  added 
that  I  was  an  American  correspondent.  **  Why,  you  must 
be  the  man  Mr.  Kipling  was  talking  to  me  about,"  he 
said.  ''Can  you  come  with  us  right  away  ?"  I  felt  like 
grabbing  him  about  the  neck,  but  instead  maintained  my 
composure  by  a  supreme  effort,  paused  a  moment,  and  then 

63 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

hesitatingly  replied,  "Well,  that  will  depend  upon  whether 
it  will  interfere  with  my  own  work."  After  further  ap- 
propriate discussion  I  finally  agreed  with  him  that  I  could 
write  my  weekly  letters  between  times,  and  accepted  his 
offer  of  thirty  pounds  a  month  and  all  expenses,  including 
horses  and  transportation  of  my  baggage.  Nominally  I 
was  a  despatch  rider,  actually  third  on  the  list  of  the  ten 
**  Times  "  correspondents.  As  the  regulations  only  allowed 
"The Times"  two  regular  representatives  with  Lord  Roberts, 
this  arrangement  gave  them  the  advantage  of  having  really 
a  third. 

While  still  talking  a  sentry  appeared,  saluted,  and  ad- 
dressing me  as  "  General  Gatacre,"  requested  my  presence 
at  the  Commandant's  office.  I  knew  at  once  that  the  night 
before  the  guard  had  taken  that  name  from  my  license  in 
mistake  for  my  own,  and  this  looked  as  though  my  last 
opportunity  was  to  be  snatched  from  me,  when  the  truth 
was  learned  that  I  had  come  to  the  front  without  permis- 
sion. However,  there  was  no  help  for  it.  Off  I  had  to 
go  to  the  Commandant's  office.  There  I  explained  the 
mistake,  and  to  my  infinite  relief  the  officer  was  so  amused 
at  the  guard's  preposterous  error  that  he  quite  forgot  to 
question  me  further.  In  four  cases  out  of  five  I  invariably 
found  my  being  an  American  correspondent  predisposed 
all  the  authorities  in  my  favor,  and  fortunately  this  was  one 
of  the  four.  Late  that  afternoon  Mr.  Amery  and  I  rode 
off  towards  Jacobsdal  on  two  spirited  little  ponies,  and 
after  we  had  passed  the  outposts  and  I  was  safe  on  the 
wide,  free  veldt,  where  no  questions  were  asked,  I  enter- 
tained him  with  a  rough  narrative  of  my  experiences  in  the 
country  up  to  the  time  when,  thanks  to  Mr.  Kipling,  he 
had  decided  that  I  was  the  "youngster"  to  be  "jerked  into 
the  business  at  the  end  of  the  Modder  River  telegraph 
wire." 

64 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    AFRIKANDERS    AND    THEIR    FEELINGS. 

DURING  this  first  month  I  had  travelled  nearly  two 
thousand  miles  by  rail  and  two  hundred  on  foot, 
covering  all  of  the  more  thickly  populated  portion  of  Cape 
Colony.  Travelling  first-class  as  the  guest  of  the  railway, 
I  spent  days  at  a  time  with  representative  people  of  all  sec- 
tions, cooped  up  in  narrow  compartments,  where  tedium 
enforced  conversation  between  the  most  reserved  strangers. 
I  was  greatly  impressed  with  the  half-sullen  gratification 
with  which  the  most  loyal  Afrikanders  viewed  the  recent 
reverses  to  the  British  forces  at  Magersfontein  and  at  the 
Tugela. 

The  Afrikander  is  the  colonial-born  descendant  of  British 
or  other  foreign  settlers  who  are  not  exactly  Boers.  The 
word  is  to  Africa  what  American  is  to  America.  For  the 
most  part,  the  Afrikanders  were  thoroughly  loyal  to  the 
English  cause ;  yet  the  same  feeling  which  brings  forth  a 
child's  triumphant  ''  I  told  you  so  "  at  a  playmate's  misfor- 
tune, stirs  up  what  I  have  called  a  "  sullen  gratification  at 
British  disasters." 

Being  native  to  the  country  ;  familiar  with  all  its  geo- 
graphical, climatic  and  racial  peculiarities  ;  having  fought 
side  by  side  with  the  Boers  in  the  many  Kaffir,  Basuto  and 
Zulu  wars  ;  thoroughly  understanding  the  jockey-like  na- 
ture of  the  Boer  in  business  transactions  ;  fully  appreci- 
ating his  bravery  and  military  resourcefulness,  being  all 
the  while  aware  of  the  warlike  preparations  of  the  last  three 
years,  and  doing  everything  in  their  power  to  arouse  the 
5  65 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


government  to  take  measures  to  avoid  the  coming  conflict, 
the  Afrikanders  could  hardly  be  blamed  for  resenting  the 
slothful  indifference  of  the  home  government  to  repeated 
warnings  of  the  state  of  things  in  the  Transvaal  and  to  the 
disloyalty  of  the  Cape  Colony  administrators,  who  were 
party  to  the  Afrikander  Bond,  an  organization  devoted  to 
the  establishing  of  a  United  South  African  Republic.  They 
felt,  too,  a  certain  amount  of  satisfaction  at  the  outcome, 
which  I  repeatedly  heard  expressed  as  follows  :   '*  Except 


Behind  the  '*  schantzes  "  at  Spionkop.      As  they  fell 


for  the  poor  fellows  in  the  hospitals  at  Pretoria  and  those 
left  on  the  field,  it  serves  the  pig-headed  English  most  jolly 
right"  Apropos  of  these  defeats,  over  which  all  England 
was  so  frantic,  I  heard  a  grey-headed  old  veteran  of  our 
Civil  War  say, 

"  Why,  these  battles  are  only  skirmishes.  We  lost 
more  men  at  Fredericksburg  or  Gettysburg  than  the  total 
number  of  men  engaged  on  both  sides  in  any  of  these 
fights." 

Even  more  impressive  than  the  attitude  of  the  Afrikanders 

66 


AFRIKANDERS  AND  THEIR  FEELINGS 

were  the  many  evidences  of  the  fierce,  unforgiving  hatred, 
amounting  to  abhorrence,  of  the  Enghsh  by  the  Colonial 
Boers,  scores  of  whom  travelled  on  every  train  I  was  on. 
The  cause  of  this  can  only  be  understood  after  a  careful 
study  of  the  history  of  South  Africa  from  the  time  of  its 
settlement  at  the  Cape  by  the  Dutch,  over  two  hundred 
years  ago.  Condensed,  it  is  simply  a  case  of  *'trek,  trek, 
trek,"  for  the  Boers,  with  the  British  taking  up  the  lands 
behind  after  each  removal  farther  North.  I  will  not  attempt 
to  review  the  incidents,  but  will  content  myself  with  stating 
as  a  fact,  undisputed  by  either  pro-  or  anti-Boer,  that  the 
hatred  and  suspicion  of  all  Dutch  for  everything  English  is 
beyond  measurement,  and  to  an  unbiased  observer  is  simply 
astounding. 

In  attempting  to  reach  an  understanding  of  its  cause,  I 
was  swamped  in  the  flood  of  historical  instances  which 
poured  in  upon  me.  For  myself,  it  was  enough  that  so 
powerful  a  degree  of  national  feeling,  overwhelming  in  its 
unanimity,  could  only  arise  from  some  powerful  cause, 
which,  right  or  wrong,  had  touched  the  very  hearts  of  the 
whole  people  and  aroused  their  strongest  feelings  and  pas- 
sions. The  English-born  Britisher,  whether  in  the  army 
or  in  civil  life,  on  discovering  my  nationality,  made  anxious 
query  concerning  the  attitude  of  the  United  States  in  this 
war.  They  appeared  to  believe  that  England  has  Acnerica's 
entire  sympathy,  yet  they  were  in  that  condition  of  doubt 
which  needed  continual  confirmation  of  their  hopes  to  sat- 
isfy them. 

There  was  something  pathetic  in  this  continual  craving 
of  the  Mother  Country  for  the  moral  support,  at  least,  of 
her  healthiest  daughter.  If  it  suited  my  purpose  to  assure 
them  that  "  America  is  all  right,"  the  assertion  was  unques- 
tionably accepted  with  a  half-sigh  of  relief,  and  I  would  be 
offered  a  cigar,  which  was  also  accepted  with  a  more  pro- 

67 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

found  sigh  of  relief  on  my  part ;  for  the  condition  of  my 
expenses  at  this  time  very  nearly  resulted  in  putting  my 
wits  on  the  bias. 

I  met  a  great  many  Boers,  and  had  many  opportunities  of 
conversation.  They  were  hard  to  draw  out,  as  I  could  not 
speak  Dutch;  and,  as  the  country  was  supposedly  infested 
with  spies,  they  were  intensely  suspicious.  However,  the 
recent  diasters  to  the  Imperial  forces  gave  me  ample  op- 
portunity to  speak  of  British  blunders  and  losses  in  their 
presence,  and  the  expression  of  their  faces,  together  with 
the  things  they  left  unsaid,  told  me  that  the  Dutch  to  a 
man  were  for  the  Republics.  Occasionally  I  met  with  a 
Dutchman  whose  business  interests  were  identical  with  those 
of  the  British  cause.  In  the  case  of  one  old  fellow,  who 
was  handling  large  army  contracts,  with  whom  I  travelled 
on  one  occasion,  the  nature  of  his  inquiries,  together  with 
an  expression  of  face  which  showed  intention  to  conceal 
expression,  told  me  plainly  that  his  heart  was  with  his 
brother  Boers.  The  uneducated  Duch  are  always  very 
suspicious  of  any  one  who  speaks  English,  and  I  was  un- 
able to  extract  much  information  from  that  class.  How- 
ever, a  judicious  suggestion  of  British  blunders  and  Dutch 
excellence  in  strategy  seldom  failed  to  show  brightening 
eyes  when  Dutch  prowess  was  being  spoken  of  At  Beufort 
West,  near  the  edge  of  the  Karroo,  a  few  weeks  later,  when 
there  was  danger  of  the  Cape  Dutch  rising,  an  effort  was 
made  by  the  British  authorities  to  raise  a  town  guard  of 
two  hundred  men  to  quell  any  threatened  disturbance. 
The  officer  in  charge  of  this  admitted  to  me  that  it  failed, 
because  they  were  unable  to  get  a  dozen  men  on  whom 
they  could  safely  depend  as  being  loyal  to  the  Queen. 

Among  the  uneducated  English  and  the  Tommies  there 
wasn't  the  slightest  doubt  of  America's  attitude.  *'Why, 
didn't  the  American  Government  send  out  the  hospital  ship 

68 


AFRIKANDERS  AND  THEIR  FEELINGS 

Maine  T'  was  usually  delivered  with  an  air  of  finality  which 
silenced  further  attempts  to  draw  out  Mr.  Atkins. 

The  "natives"  (blacks)  with  whom  I  came  in  contact 
were  impenetrable.  Comparatively  i^^  spoke  English,  and 
they  were  purposely  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  state  of  the 
war  as  much  as  possible.  However,  in  some  sections  they 
were  described  as  being  "  very  quiet ;"  "quite  too  much 
so,"  some  of  the  older  men  would  say.  In  other  districts 
they  were  "■  restless."  In  appearance  they  seemed  to  be 
much  like  our  American  negroes,  only  much  more  brow- 
beaten and  cowed,  even  in  English-ruled  Cape  Colony. 
The  Kaffirs  are  of  a  more  degenerate  race ;  while  the 
Basutos  are  all  fine  specimens,  physically,  but  not  quite  so 
hardy  or  warlike  as  the  Zulus.  While  on  my  long  tramp 
across  the  bush  between  Graham's  Town  and  King  Wil- 
liam's Town  I  met  many  groups  of  from  two  to  twenty 
Kaffirs  on  the  road,  some  of  them  evil-looking  fellows 
enough,  and  in  the  dim  moonlight  casting  dark  shadows 
across  the  path.  Out  on  that  barren  veldt,  ten  miles  from  the 
nearest  civilized  habitation  and  in  my  lonesomeness,  I  was 
often  in  some  trepidation  ;  but  by  putting  on  a  bold  front 
and  stalking  through  their  midst,  forcing  them  to  turn  out 
of  my  way  or  collide  with  me,  they  always  stepped  aside 
with  a  celerity  that  told  its  own  story ;  while  a  hearty 
''Halloo,  boys  !"  invariably  brought  back  a  pleased  chorus 
of  guttural  grunts,  which  from  its  evident  infrequency  also 
told  its  stot-y. 

One  of  the  chief  causes  of  the  Boer  hatred  for  the  Eng- 
lish is  the  latter's  alleged  "  lifting  up  of  the  niggers  and 
setting  them  on  a  level  with  white  men."  At  this  time  the 
Boers  were  accused  of  inciting  some  of  the  Basutos  and 
Matabeles  to  take  up  arms,  but  I  afterward  learned  that 
both  sides  were  equally  desirous  of  preserving  the  war  as  a 
white  man's  fight. 

69 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

I  know  little  of  the  native  character,  and  came  too  slightly 
into  contact  with  ''the  silent,  sullen  people,  half  devil  and 
half  child,"  to  rouse  more  than  the  childish  side  of  their 
nature.  One  may  be  sincerely  thankful  that  the  devil  side 
of  native  South  Africa  was  not  let  loose,  which  would  have 
resulted,  had  they  risen  in  their  millions,  in  a  common  war 
against  all  white  men,  as  was  the  danger  for  many  months, 
and  is  even  now  not  entirely  over. 

The  British  failure  in  the  early  part  of  the  war  was  ex- 
plained to  me  in  many  ways  by  the  Colonials  and  Afri- 
kanders. For  four  hundred  miles  my  travelling  companion 
on  one  occasion  was  a  Scotchman,  whose  thirty  years' 
residence  in  South  Africa  had  made  him  to  all  practical 
purposes  an  Afrikander.  He  was  a  member  of  Parliament 
from  a  half-English  and  half-Dutch  constituency,  and  suffi- 
ciently loyal  to  possess  an  admission  pass  into  every  British 
military  camp  in  the  country.  His  explanation  of  British 
failure  was,  "Our  artillery  is  out-ranged  by  that  of  the 
Boers.  The  '  up-and-at-them  men '  of  the  English  may 
be  well  enough  in  fighting  niggers,  but  that  sort  of  fight- 
ing is  all  foolishness  out  here.  It's  simply  slaughter  for 
the  English  to  do  anything  until  they  get  more  and  better 
artillery."  The  practical  sense  of  this  is  realized  when 
one  considers  the  nature  of  the  country  from  which  the 
Boers  had  to  be  driven.  The  mountains  and  kopjes  on 
which  they  entrenched, — steep,  stony,  devoid  of  bush,  tree 
or  grass, — form  an  endless  series  of  natural  fortresses,  the 
taking  of  which  by  assault  was  quite  impossible.  The 
commander  of  an  outpost  of  Mounted  Police  from  the 
Cape  told  me,  *'The  Dutch  are  the  cleverest  mounted  forces 
in  the  world,  and  every  man  of  them  is  mounted,  too.  As 
for  riding,  it  makes  no  difference  whether  on  the  level  or 
up  or  down  the  steep  and  stony  sides  of  a  kopje,  they  al- 
ways go  at  a  dead  run.     Their  horses  are  trained  to  such 

70 


AFRIKANDERS  AND  THEIR  FEELINGS 

usage  ;  and,  in  addition,  every  horse  knows  his  own  master. 
The  rider  leaves  his  horse  standing,  hides  behind  a  rock, 
and  blazes  away,  never  wasting  a  single  cartridge.  When 
our  men  get  too  close,  they  bolt  for  their  horses  and  gallop 
off,  leaving  our  men  to  advance  over  empty  ground  or  per- 
haps into  a  trap.  They  fight  in  such  extended  order  that 
there  is  no  getting  at   them;    and" — as  the  memory   of 


1 

1 

^^ 

l^% 

'■y-;--/ 

^  ■ 

^.^^^^f^^^%^(^A 

tS'^--: 

'^% 

^^M 

^',^'^ 

>  :  --* 

^M^:^ 

^w 

1 

WBmrJ^^Bfr~^-^k§m 

w 

The  Burial  Trenches  at  Spionkop,  showing  Englisli  dead.  Colonel  Blake  of 
the  Irish  American  Brigade  told  the  author  that  they  were  buried  so 
carelessly  that  the  first  rainfall  washed  away  the  soil,  leaving  knees, 
elbows,  feet,  legs  and  arms  protruding. 


Stormberg  came  back  to  him,  he  continued — "  and  as 
for  tricks,  the  devil  himself  can't  beat  the  Dutch  for  cute- 
ness." 

Another  source  of  weakness  was  revealed  to  me  by  a 
prominent  railway  official  in  whose  company  I  travelled 
nearly  eight  hundred  miles.  He  was  an  Afrikander,  and 
his  pet  grievance  against  England  was  the  insufficiency  of 
her  intelligence   department.     With  us  was  a  captain  of 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

the  British  army,  and  I  succeeded  in  getting  the  two  into 
a  discussion. 

*' I  don't  want  to  criticise  my  own  side,"  he  said,  **  but 
the  way  in  which  our  intelhgence  department  has  been 
conducted  is  an  infernal  outrage.  The  Boers  know  every 
move  we  make  or  think  of  making,  while  we  hardly 
know  either  their  position  or  numbers.  But  then,"  the 
officer  interposed  apologetically,  without  contradiction, 
"  we  must  remember  that  we  are  fighting  in  the  enemy's 
country,  where  every  farmhouse,  town  and  village  is  filled 
with  their  sympathizers ;"  which  statement,  made  then, 
when  the  Boers  were  invaders  of  Cape  Colony,  was  rather 
a  serious  admission. 


72 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SOME    TYPES    OF    WAR    CORRESPONDENTS. 

WITHIN  the  general  military  operations  another 
fiercely  contested  campaign  was  waged  by  the  small 
army  of  war  correspondents  who  had  drifted  to  South 
Africa  in  the  wake  of  the  Imperial  forces.  Fully  one-third 
of  these  knights  of  the  pen  and  pencil  were  collected  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth  under  the  erroneous  impression  that 
they  were  to  be  the  guests  of  the  army,  that  a  horse,  tent, 
servant,  rations,  forage  and  transportation  would  be  fur- 
nished gratis,  and  that  the  Imperial  Government  would 
generally  do  what  it  could  to  make  the  life  and  work  of 
correspondents  as  inexpensive  and  pleasant  as  possible. 
The  fact  was  that,  when  licensed,  the  correspondent  was 
allowed  to  draw  a  limited  amount  of  food  for  himself,  ser- 
vant and  horses,  for  which  a  pretty  stiff  price  had  to  be 
paid,  usually  a  week  or  month  in  advance.  Horses  and 
servants  were  absolutely  necessary,  and  the  usual  outfit  in 
the  field  included  a  two-wheeled  cart,  two  driving-horses, 
one  or  two  riding-horses,  and  a  Kaffir  servant.  All  this 
meant  an  outlay  of  a  thousand  dollars  at  the  start,  and 
about  fifty  dollars  per  week  for  running  expenses,  to  which 
had  to  be  added  the  great  expense  of  cabling  messages, 
which  cost  from  one  shilling  and  sixpence  to  five  shillings 
per  word,  according  to  whether  press  rate  or  full  rate  was 
charged.  The  Censors  were  usually  courteous  and  gentle- 
manly officers,  especially  selected  for  their  tact  in  dealing 
with  this  very  sensitive,  annoying  yet  indispensable  news- 
paper contingent.      Nevertheless,  short  shrift  was  allowed 

71 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

for  the  transgressor  of  the  press  rules.  There  was  a  small 
but  gradually  increasing  colony  of  correspondents  at  the 
Cape  who  had  violated  these  regulations  in  a  more  or  less 
flagrant  manner,  and,  as  a  consequence,  had  been  deprived 
of  their  licenses  and  sent  down  from  the  front  under  escort. 
Then  followed  a  miserable  existence,  their  expense  allow- 
ances generally  having  been  stopped,  living  from  week  to 
week  on  borrowed  funds,  all  the  time  making  ceaseless 
efforts  to  have  their  licenses  restored.  Meanwhile  every 
other  correspondent  who  ran  down  from  the  front  for  a  few 
days'  rest  was  besieged  with  solicitations  from  these  unfor- 
tunates to  be  taken  up  to  the  front  again  as  servants. 

Of  course,  to  do  this  would  be  to  risk  the  loss  of  one's 
own  license  also,  so  the  request  was  invariably  refused. 
Perhaps  after  a  month  or  more  of  weary  waiting  a  new 
hcense  might  be  granted,  or  else  the  man  would  enlist  in 
one  of  the  irregular  mounted  forces  at  five  shillings  per 
day ;  or,  last  of  all,  take  a  third-class  ticket  back  to  Eng- 
land, to  face  the  world  there  with  a  ruined  journalistic  repu- 
tation. These  misfortunes  were  usually  the  result  of  over- 
zeal.  One  man  went  down  from  the  front  to  the  Cape  to 
avoid  having  his  articles  censored,  and  wrote  a  vigorous  let- 
ter severely  criticising  a  certain  commander,  which  in  due 
course  of  time  brought  about  his  disgrace.  Another  was 
found  in  suspicious  proximity  to  the  enemy's  lines,  and 
went  back  to  the  Cape  under  guard.  Two  others,  at  a 
critical  moment,  bothered  the  headquarters  staff  with  su- 
perflous  questions  and  were  arrested  on  the  spot,  not  to  be 
released  until  reaching  Cape  Town.  Still  another  got 
drunk  and  gave  vent  to  a  rather  free  expression  of  his  opin- 
ions before  certain  officers,  which  resulted  in  his  fall  from 
grace.  And  so  on  the  list  might  read,  painfully  long  in  the 
rehearsal  of  misfortune  and  fault. 

Another  colony,  which  was  always   of  great  size,  was 

■  74 


TYPES  OF  WAR  CORRESPONDENTS 

that  of  the  newly-arrived  unlicensed  correspondents.  They 
each,  in  turn,  went  through  the  weary  round  of  repeated 
trips  to  the  Censor's  office,  the  Chief  of  Staff's,  the  Com- 
manding General's ;  until  at  last  success  followed  their 
efforts,  or  else,  disgusted  and  disappointed,  they  returned 
home.  A  very  few  persisted  in  the  face  of  failure,  and 
eventually  got  to  the  front  in  the  capacity  of  servants,  trans- 
port conductors  or  despatch-riders.  Others  brazenly  re- 
mained at  the  Cape,  got  all  the  local  papers  and  telegrams, 
and  coolly  proceeded  to  "  fake  "  their  copy.  At  the  Mount 
Nelson  Hotel  there  were  a  few  representatives  of  the  larger 
papers  who  were  expected  to  remain  there  and  watch  the 
development  of  the  political  situation  in  the  Cape  Colony. 
These  men  stood  at  the  very  top  of  their  profession,  and 
were  largely  selected  because  of  their  social  and  literary 
qualifications. 

There  were  possibly,  altogether,  two  hundred  newspaper 
men  in  South  Africa,  many  of  whom  had  gone  there  at 
their  own  expense,  armed  only  with  the  necessary  creden- 
tials. A  number  of  officers  acted  as  correspondents,  while 
a  few  enlisted  men  were  also  doing  work  for  home  papers. 
Of  course  these  were  too  much  hampered  by  their  duties 
to  do  more  than  mere  descriptive  work  ;  but  still  they 
figured  on  the  lists  and  helped  to  swell  its  proportions, 
and  the  large  number  of  correspondents  already  in  the  field 
was  the  chief  obstacle  to  the  granting  of  licenses  to  the 
new  arrivals.  The  month  of  January,  1900,  was  an  espe- 
cially trying  one  to  the  correspondents.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  the  daily  skirmishes  at  Colesberg,  all  operations  had 
come  to  a  halt,  and  there  was  no  news.  Men  assigned  to 
General  Gatacre  were  trying  to  get  exchanged  to  General 
French,  while  those  at  the  latter's  camp  wanted  to  get  over 
to  Gatacre.  Each  one  was  trying  to  have  his  license  made 
general,  in  order  to  have  the  freedom  of  all  camps  ;  while, 

75 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

among  them  all,  the  Chief  Censor  was  roused  to  a  condition 
of  fine  fury.  Yet  there  were  not  a  few  amusing  incidents 
to  relieve  the  monotony.  An  American  correspondent  at 
Colesberg  wired  to  Gatacre  for  permission  to  come  to  Sterk- 
strom.  The  reply  came  back,  "  All  right,  come  ahead  ; 
but  the  press  staff  here  is  already  larger  than  the  army." 
General  Gatacre' s  inactivity  for  over  five  weeks  had  made 
his  correspondents  the  most  restless  and  dissatisfied  of  the 
entire  lot.  However,  with  the  advent  of  '*  Bobs  "  and  the 
advance  from  Modder  River,  a  general  leniency  was  granted 
in  favor  of  those  fortunate  enough  to  be  north  of  that 
river,  and  they  were  given  an  entirely  free  hand.  Lord 
Kitchener  wanted  to  ship  them  all  out  of  the  country  ; 
but  Lord  Roberts  thought  the  public  had  some  rights,  and 
contented  himself  with  simply  restricting  their  number.' 
The  larger  English  papers  had  men  with  each  column  ;  so 
that,  since  at  this  time  there  were  no  less  than  four  different 
campaigns  going  on  simultaneously,  the  expenses  mounted 
up  frightfully. 

Just  before  General  French  left  Colesberg,  an  artist,  rep- 
resenting **  Black  and  White,"  while  watching  the  daily 
artillery  duel  from  Coleskop,  observed  a  fine-looking  Boer 
horse,  with  a  feed-bag  on  his  nose,  walking  out  on  the  veldt 
below.  As  may  be  easily  imagined,  the  Boer  owner  was 
in  an  unenviable  rage  at  being  unable  to  go  out  into  the 
open  and  lead  his  horse  back  ;  while  our  artist  friend,  to- 
gether with  hundreds  of  other  Britishers,  were  looking  with 
envious  eyes  on  the  fine  animal,  fondly  hoping  it  would 
stray  close  enough  for  them  to  ''commandeer"  it.  Sure 
enough,  on  his  return  to  Rensburg  the  artist  passed  close 
by  the  animal,  which  had  wandered  that  way.  It  was  a 
little  risky,  but,  for  all  that,  he  took  his  chances  to  effect  a 
capture.  Seizing  the  strap  hanging  from  the  nose-bag,  he 
undertook  to   lead  the  horse  in,  with  the  air  of  a  General 

76 


TYPES  OF  WAR  CORRESPONDENTS 

surrounding  a  Boer  commando  ;  but  the  horse  thought 
otherwise,  and,  like  everything  else  Dutch,  turned  out  to 
be  a  mine  of  surprising  revelations  in  strategy.  Instead  of 
quietly  allowing  itself  to  be  captured,  it  adopted  the  expe- 
dient of  quietly  sitting  down.  The  artist  kicked  and 
pounded  the  obstinate  animal ;  but  all  in  vain.  As  he 
tugged  at  the  strap,  the  horse  closely  watched  him  over  the 
rim  of  the  nose-bag,  all  the  while  keeping  his  forefeet  firmly 


a 

"^-i..^... 

1. 

"'^■•'"'^'^"'■i'" — — — 1 

A  Modern  Ghoul."  A  Gennan  photographer  seen  by  English  scouts  at 
Spionkop  after  the  battle  piling  up  British  dead,  in  order  to  make  a  par- 
ticularly gruesome  photograph.  One  of  the  scouts,  unable  to  control  his 
indignation,  took  careful  aim  and  shot  the  artist  through  the  heart.  This 
story,  with  the  photograph,  was  given  to  the  author  by  Dr.  Vernon  Har- 
court  at  Bloemfontein. 


planted  in  front,  and  braced  in  such  a  way  that  nothing 
short  of  a  company  of  Her  Majesty's  Engineers  could  have 
moved  him.  Finally  the  zip-zip  of  a  few  scattering  bullets 
told  the  artist  that  the  Boers  had  at  last  found  the  range, 
and  so  the  attempt  at  capture  was  abandoned,  and  he  re- 
tired ;  while,  as  Mr.  Dooley  says,  "  one  more  '  I  regret  to 
state  '  found  its  way  into  the  English  papers." 

I  made  an  attempt  to  pick  up  the  Dutch  language,  and 

77 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

will  unselfishly  share  the  accumulations  of  my  first  month 
with  my  readers.  **  Kop  "  is  a  hill.  ''  Kopje,"  pronounced 
*'  copy,"  is  the  diminutive.  '*  Nek  "  is  a  narrow  strip  con- 
necting two  kops  or  kopjes.  '*  Hoek  "  is  a  curve  or  bend 
on  a  railway,  such  as  **  Bushman's  Hoek  "  near  Sterkstrom. 
It  is  pronounced  ''  hook."  **  Rand  "  is  a  ridge  or  one  of 
the  summits  on  a  plain  of  rolling  ground,  and  is  pronounced 
**  raant."  **  Veldt,"  pronounced  '' felt,"  is,  of  course,  the 
synonym  of  prairie.  A  "  laagte  "  is  a  hollow,  bowl-like 
stretch  of  veldt. 

Elandslaagte  is  derived  from  the  deer-like  eland  and  their 
feeding-place.  The  current  form  of  pronunciation  used  by 
the  Tommies  in  referring  to  the  battle  of  Elandslaagte  was 
to  call  it  "  The  battle  of  'ell  and  slaughter,"  which  sounds 
very  much  like  the  Boer  way  of  speaking  the  word. 
"Spec"  is  Dutch  for  bacon.  **Boom"  means  tree  ;  there- 
fore is  is  very  plain  that  '' specboom "  means  elephant 
food.  Another  Dutch  word  which  came  into  more  general 
use  after  a  few  charges  by  the  Lancers  was  '*  Kleinzieroch," 
which  means  hypersensitiveness  to  pain.  Americans  gen- 
erally are  at  liberty  to  pronounce  this  word  as  they  please. 
I  found  it  a  bit  too  much,  and  so  abandoned  my  attempt 
to  study  Dutch.  Having  acquired  all  this  in  the  short 
space  of  four  weeks,  I  think  it  only  fair  to  denounce  as  a 
malicious  libel  upon  a  brave,  honest  and  industrious  people 
the  reports  of  some  correspondents  that  ''the  Boer  lan- 
guage is  barbarous  and  extremely  difficult  to  learn." 


78 


CHAPTER    X. 
''at  the  end  of  a  wire"  at  last. 

RIDING  across  a  stretch  of  fine,  dusty  sand,  we  soon  left 
Modder  River  station  behind  us,  forded  the  river, 
and  then  struck  the  broad  highway  cut  out  of  virgin  veldt 
by  the  broad  tires  of  a  thousand  transport  wagons  and 
twenty  thousand  bullocks  which  had  passed  the  same  way 
only  the  day  before.  Jacobsdal  was  only  twelve  miles 
away,  and  there  Lord  Roberts  and  his  staff  were  supposed 
to  be  resting. 

About  five  o'clock  we  passed  a  dozen  tents,  deserted  by 
the  enemy  and  left  untouched  by  the  pursuing  army.  Then 
a  little  later  there  was  a  dull,  thunder-like  explosion  some 
miles  ahead,  and  we  looked  that  way  in  time  to  see  the  still 
ascending  column  of  smoke  and  dust  as  it  pierced  its 
way  skyward  a  thousand  feet,  black  and  white  against  the 
grey-blue  background,  and  then  dissolved  like  falling  rain. 
**  Dynamite,"  said  Amery  ;  "a.  mine,  likely;  I  hope  none  of 
our  fellows  have  been  hurt;"  and  then,  as  no  further  ex- 
planation was  forthcoming,  we  rode  silently  on,  arriving  at 
the  small  town  of  Jacobsdal,  with  its  seventeen  white  flags 
flying — halting  at  the  hotel  to  find  the  headquarters  staff 
gone,  General  Wavel  in  command  with  his  brigade,  night 
coming  on,  and  supper  a  matter  of  courtesy  on  the  part  of 
the  hotel  keeper. 

However,  Amery,  who  seemed  to  know  everybody,  was 
soon  drinking  a  cup  of  tea  with  the  General,  to  whom  I 
was  presented  soon  after.  After  our  horses  had  a  good 
feed,  I  bought  some  bread  to  add  to  Amery's  collection  of 

79 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


tinned  foods  ;  then,  as  it  grew  very  dark,  and  Amery  hav- 
ing obtained  the  password,  we  rode  off  into  the  night  after 
the  main  army.  Curiously  enough,  the  countersign  was 
''  Modder  River,"  and  we  had  to  give  it  to  three  Hnes  of 
sentries,  and  twice  afterward  to  scouting  parties  on  the  road. 
We  rode  about  a  dozen  miles,  and  then,  as  the  moon  sank 
below  the  horizon  and  the  road  disappeared  altogether,  we 
off-saddled  by  the  river,  knee-hobbled  our  horses,  and  laid 
down  on  the  ground  wrapped  only  in  our  mackintoshes. 

Perhaps   an   hour  passed  in  silence,  disturbed  only  by 
the  munching  of  our  ponies'   teeth  on  the  grass  and  the 


Team  of  Thirty-eight  Oxen  or  Bullocks  JJiavving  the  4.7  inch  Naval  Gun 
on  the  March. 

murmuring  of  the  Modder.  A  low  rumble,  like  distant 
tttunder,  sounded  in  the  distance.  Half  an  hour  later  it 
came  again.  Amery  thought  it  meant  rain.  We  timed  it 
an  hour  longer,  and  regularly  on  the  half  and  on  the  hour 
it  came  again.  Then  we  knew  that  it  was  the  lyddite  from 
the  naval  guns  in  action  somewhere  ahead  in  the  night,  and 
till  daylight  I  continued  to  lie  quiet,  alternately  dozing 
and  listening  to  the  rolling  of  the  distant  artillery — the  first 
sound  of  actual  warfare  I  had  heard. 

At  daybreak  we  were  in  the  saddle  again,  following  the 
tracks  of  the  army,  which  spread  for  half  a  mile  across  the 

80 


"AT  THE  END  OF  A  WIRE"  AT  LAST 

veldt,  between  a  line  of  kopjes  and  the  river.  At  ten 
o'clock  we  reached  Klip  Drift,  where  there  had  been  a 
fight  a  few  days  before.  Here  a  small  detachment  of  troops 
was  encamped,  guarding  the  line  of  communications.  An 
attempt  to  secure  breakfast  failed,  as  the  men  were  all  on 
half-rations  and  very  *'  grouchy"  as  a  result.  A  few  miles 
farther  we  came  to  a  looted  farmhouse.  I  dismounted 
and  went  inside  to  see  what  the  place  looked  like.  An 
American  volunteer  fire  company  could  not  have  made  a 
more  complete  wreck.  Everything  was  on  the  floor  and 
broken — furniture,  window-glass  and  framework,  pictures, 
books  and  bedding,  crockery,  clothes,  children's  toys,  and 
all  that  goes  to  complete  the  household  effects  of  a  well- 
to-do  Free  State  farmer.  Infinite  pains  had  been  taken  to 
leave  nothing  undestroyed  as  each  successive  band  of 
stragglers  filtered  through  the  doors  and  windows,  each 
stopping  long  enough  to  add  an  additional  twist  to  the  con- 
torted framework  of  the  iron  bedstead  or  rip  half  a  foot 
further  the  mattress,  dig  another  picture  off  the  wall  with 
the  point  of  a  bayonet,  wrench  the  last  leg  off  the  table,  or 
break  into  still  smaller  fragments  the  already  broken  look- 
ing-glass and  crockery  ;  each  several  act  an  expression  of 
brutal  hatred  for  the  "dirty  Boers." 

Eighteen  thousand  regular  soldiers  had  passed  this  de- 
serted home,  leaving  it  untouched  ;  but  then  a  squadron  of 
irregular  horse  passed  by,  and  the  stragglers  finished  what 
these  had  begun.  The  irregular  horse  were  mainly  recruited 
from  the  Colony ;  their  friends,  or  perhaps  relatives,  had 
suffered  from  similar  depredations  earlier  in  the  w^ar,  while 
the  Boers  were  invading  the  Colony,  and  their  looting  and 
destruction  was  as  much  an  act  of  revenge  as  love  of  pilfer- 
ing and  wanton  destruction. 

About  noon  we  reached  another  farmhouse,  from  its  ap- 
pearance also  badly  wrecked.  As  we  rode  up  I  saw  an 
6  8i 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

English  soldier  coming  out  with  an  armful  of  dishes  and 
disappear  in  a  stable.  I  followed  him,  and  found  fifteen 
stragglers  and  sick  men  camped  inside  on  the  ground. 
They  had  divested  the  house  of  mattresses  and  bedding, 
had  commandeered  a  sheep,  and  were  about  to  serve  a 
delicious  stew  for  dinner.  I  immediately  accepted  their 
invitation  for  Amery  and  myself  to  join  them,  and  at  my 
suggestion  a  few  more  chairs  and  a  table  were  brought  out, 
"to  do  the  thing  in  style."  At  the  last  moment  one  of 
the  Tommies  appeared  with  a  clean  white  table-cloth  and 
his  pockets  filled  with  knives,  forks  and  spoons,  more  or 
less  dilapidated  from  having  been  trodden  underfoot  and 
dug  out  from  the  general  rubbish  on  the  floor.  Amery 
took  the  head  of  the  table  and  I  the  seat  of  honor  at  his 
right.  Then  two  Tommies  appeared,  with  the  big  kettle  be- 
tween them,  and  the  feast  began.  Half  a  dozen  others  sat 
at  the  table.  The  rest  sprinkled  themselves  around  on  the 
floor,  in  a  carriage  in  one  corner,  or  on  their  beds.  One 
sat  on  the  top  of  a  small  upright  piano  which  had  been  car- 
ried from  the  house,  and  diligently  pounded  the  keys  with 
his  heels  until  it  became  unbearable,  when  two  of  the  men 
quietly  tipped  both  piano  and  Tommy  over  backward,  and 
the  disturbance  ceased. 

Happening  to  look  back  over  the  veldt,  I  saw  a  regiment 
approaching,  spread  out  in  extended  order,  the  end  men 
of  which  were  sure  to  pass  around  our  stable.  Thoughts 
of  arrest  and  court-martial  for  marauding  at  once  flashed 
through  my  head.  I  noticed  that  some  of  the  men  ap- 
peared frightened  as  they  looked  up  and  saw  the  approach- 
ing body.  One  of  them  silently  pushed  together  the  big 
doors  of  the  stable,  and  we  went  on  eating  quietly.  Then 
there  was  a  step  outside,  the  door  was  flung  open,  and,  as 
we  looked  around,  there  stood  the  most  astonished  ser- 
geant in  South  Africa,  his  eyes  riveted  on  the  feast  spread 

82 


"AT  THE  END  OF  A  WIRE"  AT  LAST 

out  before  us.  He  had  been  living  on  hard  tack  for  a 
week.  He  took  one  hurried  look  backward,  and  then, 
closing  the  door,  stepped  inside  and  said,  "  For  God's 
sake,  boys,  get  me  a  plateful." 

It  was  the  quickest  meal  on  record  ;  he  fairly  drank  the 
stew — bread,  meat,  potatoes  and  broth.  We  stuffed  his 
pockets  with  biscuits,  he  snatched  a  handful  of  boiled  meat 
to  eat  on  the  march  and  rushed  off,  as  he  said,  ^'  to  report 
that  the  stable  was  occupied  by  a  few  sick  men." 


The  4.7-inch  Naval  Gun  from  H.  M.  S.  S.  Powerful  on  the  march. 
This  gun  has  a  range  of  nearly  eleven  miles,  throwing  ninety-eight 
pounds  of  steel  and  lyddite,  and  was  hauled  by  a  team  of  thirty-eight  oxen. 
It  was  attended  by  a  naval  contingent  from  the  Powerful. 

When  the  convoy  with  its  long  train  of  creaking  com- 
missariat wagons  was  safely  over  the  rise  we  opened  the 
doors  again  to  let  in  the  flood  of  sunlight,  and  continued 
our  eating  and  getting  acquainted  with  Tommy,  who  is 
certainly  a  good-natured  fellow,  quick  to  make  friends, 
easily  influenced,  naturally  turning  to  a  superior  officer  or 
stronger  will  for  orders  or  suggestions  about  every  action 
of  his  life.  A  boisterous,  rollicking  chap ;  but  only  a 
machine,  helpless  when  stranded  or  in  a  difficulty,  unless 
a  stronger  mind  is  present  to  think  for  him. 

83 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

The  sun  was  already  declining  when  we  left  the  stable. 
For  two  hours  more  we  followed  the  field  telegraph  wire 
which  had  been  dropped  by  the  headquarters  staff.  The 
cannonading  was  now  only  a  few  miles  ahead.  Coming  to 
the  crest  of  a  ridge  of  low  kopjes,  we  saw  the  entire  army 
spread  out  before  us  as  though  on  a  map.  The  crystalline 
air  of  South  Africa  brings  most  distant  objects  won- 
derfully close  to  the  eye.  We  could  see  the  camps  of  the 
different  brigades  and  divisions,  the  long  lines  of  bullock 
carts,  the  tens  of  thousands  of  bullocks  scattered  over  the 
veldt  across  the  river  and  to  our  right,  tended  by  the 
native  drivers.  To  our  left,  by  the  river  bank,  hidden  in  a 
grove  of  trees,  behind  the  field-hospital  headquarters,  floated 
the'  Union  Jack  over  the  headquarters  of  Lord  Roberts  and 
his  staff,  and  that  was  our  destination. 

Riding  up,  we  learned  that  everybody  had  left  the  place 
to  watch  the  bombardment  which  was  to  begin  at  four 
o'clock ;  so,  retracing  our  steps  a  mile,  we  came  to  and 
climbed  little  "Spy  Kopje,"  or  signal-hill,  dotted  all  over 
with  generals,  lords,  dukes,  and  a  prince  or  so,  khaki-clad, 
with  red  collars  as  indications  of  rank,  and  a  sprinkling  of 
correspondents  and  colonels.  On  a  point  above  everybody 
else  were  the  signal  corps  wigwagging  messages  with  flags 
to  near-by  commands,  or  heliographing  eight  miles  far- 
ther east  to  General  French  ;  back  to  Klip  Drift,  Jacobsdal 
and  Modder  River ;  or  into  the  Boer  laager  where  General 
Cronje  and  nearly  four  thousand  burghers  of  the  Free  State, 
heroes  of  Majuba  and  Magersfontein,  with  several  hundred 
of  their  women,  were  encamped  in  the  river-bed,  four  miles 
above. 

Then,  with  the  thunder  of  a  *Tour-point  seven"  naval 
gun  (almost  as  large  as  our  five-inch  gun),  followed  by 
the  heavy  boom  of  exploding  lyddite,  plainly  in  sight, 
though  four   miles  away  in   the  laager,  the   bombardment 

84 


-AT  THE  END  OF  A  WIRE"  AT  LAST 

began.  One  hundred  and  twenty-six  guns — only  twelve  less 
than  General  Lee  used  at  Gettysburg — were  in  a  semicircle 
around  General  Cronje,  keeping  up  for  two  hours  a  con- 
tinuous rain  of  lyddite  and  shrapnel.  A  magnificent  spec- 
tacle this, — the  general  bombardment  on  the  second  day 
after  the  battle  of  Paardeburg  and  the  surrounding  of 
Cronje's  army  in  the  bed  of  the  Modder  River.  Cronje 
had  only  four  guns  in  action.  Till  six  o'clock  I  watched 
the  engagement.  As  one  used  black  powder,  the  puff  of 
smoke  from  its  mouth  showed  plainly  with  the  flash.  The 
others  used  smokeless  powder,  which  showed  only  a 
reddish-white  flash  when  fired,  after  which  would  follow  a 
swishing,  fizzing  sound  in  the  air,  and  somewhere  below  us 
a  nine-pound  shell  would  explode  in  a  cloud  of  smoke,  and 
perhaps  a  few  men  would  scatter  from  their  places  around 
a  gun.  Meanwhile  half  a  dozen  pieces  of  British  artillery, 
ready  loaded  and  sighted  at  the  spot,  had  sent  their  charges 
true  as  a  die  to  the  place  of  the  flash  ;  and  that  afternoon 
three  of  the  guns  in  the  laager  were  put  out  of  action. 
How  many  tons  of  metal  and  explosives  were  hurled  at 
and  into  the  Boer  position  that  afternoon  I  cannot  guess  ; 
but  with  each  discharge,  especially  of  the  lyddite  guns, 
which  sent  up  a  great  cloud  of  thick  black  smoke  where 
each  shell  dropped,  I  felt  a  thrill  as  I  thought  it  was  the 
executioner  of  perhaps  a  dozen  men,  and  maybe  some 
women. 

A  tall,  girl-faced  young  officer,  attached  to  somebody's 
staff  near  by,  said,  with  an  affected  drawl,  "  This  is  the 
grandest  bombardment  I  have  ever  seen."  On  the  other 
side  a  grizzled  old  colonel,  with  India,  Egypt  and  the 
Crimea  written  on  his  face,  muttered,  **  Damned  ass  !  I'd 
like  to  know  what  others  he  has  seen  !"  The  old  fellow 
was  righteously  ruffled  at  the  youngster,  for  his  well-trained 
professional  optics  had  been  focused  silently  for  hours  on 

85 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

this  affair,  now  historic,  for  it  was  one  of  the  heaviest 
bombardments  of  modern  times.  How  any  one  escaped 
annihilation  up  there  in  the  river  bed  was  beyond  my 
comprehension.  Surely,  I  thought,  unless  they  surrender 
there  will  be  only  a  few  hundred  of  the  poor  fellows  left ; 
and  when  I  thought  of  the  women  it  was  with  a  feeling  of 
detestation  of  the  English,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
Boers  had  been  equally  callous  to  the  existence  of  women 
and  children  in  Kimberley  and  Ladysmith. 

The  use  of  lyddite  in  war  may  be  described  as  follows  : 
The  roar  of  a  4.7-inch  gun  is  quickly  followed  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  the  lyddite  shell,  two  or  three  miles  distant. 
A  few  seconds  elapse  ;  then  suddenly  a  black  cloud  of 
smoke  appears  near  the  ground,  sharp  black  points  pierce 
the  air  in  every  direction,  rounding  out  into  huge  dark 
clouds,  which  slowly  settle  and  spread  their  supposedly 
poisonous  vapors  over  the  ground.  Four,  five,  six  seconds 
pass  in  silence  ;  then  is  heard  a  resounding  thunder-clap, 
as  though  from  a  clear  sky  ;  it  is  the  sound  of  the  bursting 
shell,  crashing  and  shattering  the  air,  deafening  the  ear, 
echoing  and  re-echoing,  rumbling  away,  with  several  revi- 
vals, until  silence  and  the  flattening  of  the  black  vapors  on 
the  surface  of  the  veldt  follow  minutes  after ;  while  com- 
manders, officers,  gunners  and  correspondents  keep  their 
eyes  intently  on  the  spot,  to  note  the  effect  of  ninety-eight 
pounds  of  steel  and  lyddite  on  the  laager  and  its  defenders. 


S6 


CHAPTER   XI. 

''THE    times"    mess    AND    A    FEW    ADVENTURES. 

FAR  away  to  the  ruddy  west  the  sun  touched  the  edge 
of  the  veldt  and  sank  behind  a  low  ridge  of  the  omni- 
present kopjes  ;  then  the  bombardment  ceased  without  hav- 
ing compelled  General  Cronje  to  raise  the  white  flag. 
Throughout  that  and  the  following  seven  nights  the  irregu- 
lar fire  of  the  naval  guns  continued.  Night  was  the  only 
time  the  besieged  burghers  had  in  which  to  get  out  of  their 
trenches  to  stretch  their  cramped  limbs,  drag  away  the 
dead  bodies  of  cattle  and  horses,  and  prepare  their  meals. 
Even  this  slight  respite  was  broken  into  all  through  the 
night  as  the  familiar  "swish-swish"  of  a  British  shell  scat- 
tered all  hands  to  cover  in  the  trenches. 

After  the  bombardment  Amery  and  I  rode  back  to  head- 
quarters, where  the  exquisite  Battersby,  of  the  *'  Morning 
Post"  and  "New  York  Journal,"  entertained  us  at  supper, 
while  he  sent  his  servants  to  find  *'  The  Times  "  cart.  When 
discovered,  Mr.  Percival  Landon,  *' The  Times"  corre- 
spondent attached  to  Lord  Roberts,  was  missing ;  his 
servants  had  not  seen  him  for  twenty-two  days.  He  had 
gone  into  Kimberley  with  General  French,  had  started 
alone  from  there,  according  to  rumor,  for  Paardeburg,  and 
it  was  feared  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Still,  we  now  had  a  home, — a  huge  two-wheeled  affair 
known  as  a  Cape  cart, — buggy-topped,  two- seated,  and 
drawn  by  two  horses.  Under  this  we  slept,  covered  by  the 
blankets  found  inside,  and  slumbered  soundly  in  spite  of 
the  cannonading  during  the  night. 

87 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Early  in  the  morning  I  was  awakened  by  a  furious 
rattle  of  rifle  volley-firing.  Simultaneously  one  of  the  Kaffir 
servants  approached  with  a  cup  of  steaming  coffee,  to  be 
drunk  before  dressing,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country.  After  a  hasty  toilet  on  the  river  bank,  Amery 
and  I  rode  off  in  the  direction  of  the  noise.  This  seemed 
to  be  somewhere  near  Kitchener's  Kopje,  a  lone  bulwark 


The  Commanding  Officer  of  an  OutposL  taking  liis  Morning  Lath  on  a  Kopje. 
His  tub,  a  rubber  blanket  laid  over  a  small  hole  in  the  ground — the 
water  carried  a  mile  and  a  half  in  water-bottles  by  a  file  of  Tommies. 


of  rock  three  miles  south  of  the  laager  and  four  miles 
eastward  from  headquarters,  and  named  for  a  blunder 
which  General  Kitchener  had  made  by  abandoning  it. 

Half-way  there  we  came  upon  a  regiment  of  the  Black 
Watch,  of  Magersfontein  fame.  While  Amery  was  talk- 
ing to  a  group  of  officers  I  rode  off  to  one  side,  toward 
some   rising  ground,  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  country. 

88 


"THE  TIMES"  MESS  AND  ADVENTURES 

I  was  near  the  transport  wagons,  among  which  a  crowd  of 
native  drivers  were  attending  the  horses  and  bullocks.  As 
though  a  gigantic  bottle  of  champagne  had  been  opened,  a 
loud  fizzing  burst  on  my  ears  from  the  sky  overhead.  The 
men  near  by  threw  themselves  flat  upon  the  ground.  I 
had  not  time  to  follow  their  example.  To  the  left  I  heard 
a  muffled  explosion,  like  a  half-buried  cannon-cracker  on 
the  Fourth  of  July.  Looking  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
I  saw  a  small  cloud  of  white  smoke  not  thirty  yards  dis- 
tant ;  then,  as  several  men  ran  toward  it,  I  galloped  ahead 
of  them,  and  found  a  hole  several  feet  broad  and  half  as 
deep,  and  a  few  pieces  of  twisted  metal  scattered  about, 
which  I  collected  as  souvenirs  of  my  first  experience  under 
fire,  for  they  were  the  remains  of  a  fifteen-pound  shrapnel 
shell — one  of  the  last  shots  from  the  last  gun  in  the  laager. 
No  damage  had  been  done,  but,  somehow,  I  was  impelled 
to  ride  back  and  stay  with  Amery  for  a  while. 

Thinking  over  the  incident  later,  I  was  unable  to  recall 
any  sensation  of  fear.  Surprise,  as  it  slowly  dawned  on  my 
mind  that  an  enemy's  shell  was  coming,  was  followed  by 
intense  curiosity  to  see  it  explode  and  note  its  effect.  The 
instinct  of  the  newspaper  man  as  a  professional  observer 
had,  to  my  supreme  gratification,  remained  uppermost,  and 
I  felt  that  perhaps  as  a  war  correspondent  I  would  be  able 
to  acquit  myself  creditably,  if  only  the  opportunity  would 
come  my  way. 

Then  it  occurred  that  better  than  waiting  for  an  oppor- 
tunity would  be  the  creating  of  one.  Perhaps  the  absence 
of  Landon  suggested  the  idea  to  me.  However  that  may 
be,  I  hinted  to  Amery  that  since  Landon  was  supposed  to 
have  joined  General  French  twelve  miles  beyond,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  laager,  I  would  be  glad  to  ride  on  and  try 
to  find  him.  There  was  some  risk,  but  more  definite  in- 
formation of  his  whereabouts  was  desirable  ;  Amery  could 

89 


WITH  "  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

not  go  himself,  and  Major  Pollock  would  join  the  column 
sometime  later  in  the  day  to  assist  Amery  in  the  work  of 
correspondence.  Then,  too,  as  I  thought  to  myself,  he  can 
carry  despatches  back  to  Modder  River  while  I  will  have  a 
chance  to  see  some  fighting.  Fortunately  for  me,  Amery 
fell  in  with  the  idea  at  once.     As  he  said, 

"  Lord  Stanley  was  very  angry  at  your  having  come  up 
without  leave,  for  he  had  answered  your  telegrams  with  a 
negative  reply.  He  was  about  to  have  you  put  under 
arrest  at  once  and  sent  back  to  Cape  Town;  but  I  pre- 
vailed on  him  not  to  do  so,  as  we  needed  you.  He  gave 
me  a  pass  for  you,  and  I  think  it  would  be  just  as  well  to 
keep  out  of  his  sight  for  a  little  while." 

He  then  got  out  his  memorandum  book  and  gave  me  a 
slip  of  paper  on  which  were  a  few  words  in  ink,  over  the 
most  noble  Lord  Stanley's  signature,  to  the  effect  that  I 
had  *'  permission  to  act  as  correspondent  for  the  Philadel- 
phia 'Press'  with  the  forces  under  Lord  Roberts."  This 
sHp  of  paper,  according  to  the  latest  press  regulations,  gave 
me  the  freedom  of  the  entire  army.  Still,  some  verbal 
restrictions  were  imposed  which  made  it  advisable  not  to 
obtrude  my  presence  about  headquarters  for  the  present, 
and  so  we  decided  that  I  was  to  hunt  Landon.  Incidentally 
I  resolved  to  secure  from  the  genial  Censor,  at  some  future 
time,  a  printed  slip  such  as  was  issued  to  the  other  corre- 
spondents. Amery  rode  off  with  me,  intending  to  go  part 
way.  Kitchener's  Kopje  lay  to  the  right,  occupied  by  an 
outpost  of  Botha's  relieving  column,  trying  to  aid  Cronje  ; 
the  laager  lay  to  the  left.  Between  was  a  perfectly  flat  open 
stretch  of  veldt,  across  which  we  had  to  ride  to  reach  Gen- 
eral French's  headquarters  at  Koodoosrand  Drift. 

Riding  toward  this  open  country  we  came  on  the  most 
advanced  outpost  and  skirmish-line  of  the  besieging  army. 
A  shallow  line  of  trenches,  filled  with  men  of  the   Essex 

90 


'•THE  TIMES"  MESS  AND  ADVENTURES 


/u    (/  A^^^<^/^^ 


OL/n^'  /Lik^i^'  ^ 


(U^ 


(Iju^>  /u 


u^  ^^ 


/ .     1.   .      ci»--o 


Special  Correspondent' s  War  License  issued  to  the  author  at  Paardeburg  by 
Chief  Press  Censor  Lord  Stanley.  According  to  new  regulations  pre- 
viously issued  by  Lord  Roberts,  this  license  gave  the  bearer  the  extraor- 
dinary privilege  of  roaming  at  will  throughout  the  district  occupied  by 
the  Imperial  Forces — the  headquarters  camp,  Brigade  and  Divisional 
camps,  firing  lines  and  outposts,  as  well  as  the  entire  line  of  communica- 
tions, being  alike  free  of  access  to  the  bearer  at  all  times,  both  day  and 
night,  during  the  march  or  in  time  of  active  hostilities. 


91 


WITH   "BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

regiment,  was  the  target  for  the  Boer  sharpshooters,  only  a 
thousand  yards  distant  in  the  laager.  The  men  were  lying 
carelessly  about,  sitting  on  the  earthworks  or  walking  up 
and  down  the  line.  A  Gatling  gun  was  near  the  end  of 
one  trench,  while  a  hundred  yards  back,  in  a  hollow,  a 
4. 7 -inch  gun  was  waiting,  its  crew  moving  restlessly 
about.  I  inquired  the  reason  of  these  unwarlike  manners 
on  the  firing-line,  but  no  one  seemed  to  know  anything. 
Looking  down  toward  the  river  and  the  laager,  I  saw  some- 
thing white  waving  in  the  air.  Had  Cronje  surrendered? 
Surely  there  was  a  man  approaching,  with  a  white  flag 
waving  fifteen  feet  above  his  head.  As  he  drew  nearer  I 
saw  that  he  wore  khaki. 

A  staff  officer  rode  up,  and  I  asked  him  what  it  all  meant. 
Then  I  learned  that  Lord  Roberts  had  sent  a  messenger  into 
the  laager  to  offer  Cronje  any  medicines  or  surgeons  he 
might  need,  and  an  opportunity  to  remove  from  the  laager 
the  women  and  children  who  were  with  him.  When  the 
bearer  of  the  flag  of  truce  reached  the  firing-line  a  sharp 
order  was  shouted  out,  the  men  tumbled  into  their  places 
again,  and  at  the  same  time  a  metallic  ring,  like  that  of  a 
tensely-drawn  wire  fence  struck  by  a  stone,  sounded  in  the 
air  overhead.  Then  another  **  zinged  "  lower  down  near 
the  ground,  and  I  heard  a  Tommy  say,  *'  The  beggar 
caught  that  ant-hill  back  there."  A  short,  angry,  hornet- 
like buzz  between  us  caused  the  staff  officer  to  remark, 
dryly,  ''They  have  the  range  on  us."  We  rode  back 
toward  the  naval  gun,  where  the  bullets  continued  to  fly 
high  overhead,  sounding  like  supernatural  whispers,  until 
the  abrupt  '*  pop-pop  "  of  the  British  rifles  in  the  trenches 
we  had  just  left  broke  in  and  announced  that  Lee-Met- 
fords  and  Mausers  were  again  in  deadly  combat  at  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  a  mile  apart.  It  was  quite  different  from  the 
old-time  wars,  when  the  firing-lines  were  only  fifty  yards 

92 


"THE  TIMES"  MESS  AND  ADVENTURES 

apart,  and  men  could  see  the  whites  of  each  other's  eyes 
instead  of  pointing  at  an  ant-Hke  speck  almost  a  smooth- 
bore cannon-shot's  range  away.  All  this  argued  ill  for  the 
pacific  nature  of  the  truce-bearer's  message  of  reply,  and 
later  I  heard  that  Lord  Roberts'  offer  had  been  curtly 
refused. 

The  way  to  Koodoosrand  lay  between  the  laager  and 
Botha's  outpost  on  Kitchener's  Hill.  We  galloped  our 
ponies  midway  between,  hoping  to  escape  observation  ;  and, 
being  a  mile  and  a  half  from  either  point,  our  chances  of 
being  hit,  if  seen,  were  small.  When  half-way  across,  a 
spent  bullet  from  the  laager  hit  Amery's  horse  on  the  leg, 
inflicting  only  a  scratch  ;  but  the  animal  stumbled,  strug- 
gled to  regain  its  feet,  plunged  ahead  a  few  yards,  and 
then  ploughed  up  the  soft  turf  with  its  nose  as  it  fell  heavily, 
pitching  Amery  over  its  head,  breaking  his  glasses  and 
scratching  his  face  badly.  A  deserted  carriage  stood  near 
by,  and  we  stopped  and  got  behind  it  for  protection.  I  wrote 
a  short  note,  to  be  mailed  home  if  I  failed  to  return,  and 
Amery  prepared  to  go  back.  Suddenly  there  came  the 
familiar  *' swish-swish  "  of  the  morning,  as  a  shell  flew 
overhead.  It  came  from  Kitchener's  Hill.  The  Boer 
artillery  seemed  to  be  opening  on  us  personally,  so  we 
separated, — I  riding  rapidly  onward  to  get  out  of  range, 
while  Amery  returned  to  the  British  lines. 

Shortly  afterward  I  passed  a  dead  horse, — a  magnificent 
grey.  A  new  saddle,  with  a  complete  accoutrement  of 
wallets  and  saddle-bags,  filled  with  supplies,  tempted  me 
to  stop  and  make  an  effort  to  substitute  the  outfit  for  my 
scanty  one.  My  pony  refused  to  go  near,  and  as  there 
was  not  even  a  stone  to  which  to  tie  him,  I  was  reluc- 
tantly compelled  to  abandon  the  effort.  By  this  time  it  was 
evident  the  firing  from  Kitchener's  Kopje  was  not  directed 
at  me,  but  at  the  laager,  and  a  few  days  later  I  learned  that 

93 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

from  a  point  five  miles  southwest  an  English  attack  had 
been  made  on  the  outpost  that  very  morning,  and  the  can- 
non-firing was  fi-om  British  guns,  dragged  up  immediately 
after  the  rout  of  the  Boers. 

Leaving  the  dead  horse,  my  route  took  me  close  to  the 
river,  which  made  a  big  bend  to  the  right.  On  its  banks,  in 
a  grove  of  small  trees,  I  could  now  see  a  number  of  men 
walking  about.  Being,  as  I  thought,  fully  three  miles 
above  the  laager,  I  rode  over  to  make  inquiries.  As  I 
drew  close  enough,  an  opening  in  the  trees  revealed  to  my 
astonished  eyes  an  unmistakable  group  of  fifty  or  more 
Boers  scattered  about  on  the  ground.  To  retreat  was 
impossible,  for,  being  within  less  than  two  hundred  yards, 
they  could  have  riddled  me  with  bullets ;  so  I  boldly 
galloped  up.  Another  surprise  greeted  me  a  few  moments 
later,  when  I  saw  under  a  tree,  close  by  its  trunk,  a  British 
Tommy  leaning  on  his  rifle ;  a  short  distance  oft"  stood 
another  ;  and  as  I  approached  closer  I  saw  that  my  "  Boers  " 
were  a  party  of  prisoners  under  guard. 

I  soon  found  the  commanding  officer  of  the  several 
regiments,  isolated  there  by  somebody's  mistake,  without 
food  or  other  supplies,  and  until  the  recapture  of  Kitchen- 
er's Kopje  in  hourly  danger  of  being  captured.  I  received 
a  pass  which  enabled  me  to  proceed  back  several  miles 
from  the  river  to  a  farm  occupied  by  the  Scottish  Borderers, 
where  I  would  receive  further  information  about  General 
French.  As  I  galloped  back  past  the  prisoners  I  was  ar- 
rested. My  appearance  was  not  unlike  that  of  the  Boers, 
for  I  wore  a  black  coat,  grey  riding-breeches,  a  soft  felt 
hat  and  riding-leathers.  The  officer  who  detained  me,  a 
young  lieutenant,  laughed  at  my  being  a  correspondent.  I 
produced  the  pass  just  given  me,  also  the  one  received  from 
Lord  Stanley  the  same  morning,  and  a  magical  change 
came  over  him  as  he  apologized  ;  and,  riding  away,  I  realized 

94 


''THE  TIMES"  MESS  AND  ADVENTURES 

that  in  being  a   correspondent   there    was   some  prestige 
which  it  would  be  well  to  remember  in  future. 

Arriving  at  the  farm, — a  beautiful  spot,  surrounded  by 
willow-trees, — I  found  the  regimental  officers'  mess  about 
to  dine,  and  I  promptly  accepted  a  cordial  invitation  to 
join  them.  Here  all  was  luxury.  Tables  and  chairs 
from  the  house  ;  chicken,  duck  and  lamb  from  the  farm- 


The  Midday  Lunch.  Officers'  Mess  of  D  Troop,  Roberts'  Light  Horse,  rest- 
ing for  lunch  while  on  the  march.  Lieutenant  Bradshaw  kneeling,  Cap- 
tain Vignoles  at  his  side,  and  Major  Congreve,  who  won  the  Victoria 
Cross  with  Lord  Roberts'  son  at  Colenso,  standing.  Correspondent  Reiss, 
of  the  **  Manchester  Guardian,"  to  the  left. 


yard ;  cigars  and  whiskey  from  the  Colonel's  kit,  and 
twenty  or  more  of  the  best  fellows  in  the  world  gathered 
from  the  ends  of  the  empire.  We  had  much  to  talk 
about,  much  news  and  information  to  exchange.  The 
Major  drew  for  me  a  map  of  French's  position,  which  I 
could  easily  reach  before  dark,  and  half  the  afternoon 
passed  pleasantly,  while  I  almost  forgot  Landon  and  **The 
Times."       The   table   was  set  beneath  a  row  of  weeping- 

95 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

willows,  beside  a  small  brook,  draining  a  magnificent  spring 
of  clear  cold  water, — a  rare  luxury  on  the  veldt, — and  I 
congratulated  the  officers  on  their  beautiful  headquarters, 
cautioning  them  not  to  let  Lord  Roberts  find  out  how  well 
they  were  situated  or  he  would  commandeer  the  place 
for  the  general  staff  The  Colonel  admitted  danger  of 
this,  and,  strangely  enough,  a  week  later  "  The  Times " 
mess  occupied  this  very  spot  and  Lord  Roberts  the  farm- 
house, while  the  Colonel  and  officers  of  the  King's  Own 
Scottish  Borderers  Regiment  were  moved  out  on  the  open 
veldt. 

Toward  evening  I  rode  off  with  a  final  caution  from  the 
Colonel  to  *'  Look  out  for  Boer  scouting  parties  !"  A 
rough  wagon-road  between  a  line  of  low  kopjes  and  the 
river  showed  me  the  way.  The  kopjes  were  the  danger- 
ous places,  and  I  kept  a  sharp  lookout.  Three  miles  were 
passed  over  without  incident ;  then  from  a  bigger  kopje  I 
saw  two  men  riding  toward  my  path.  Their  rifles  shone 
clearly  in  the  setting  sun.  Again  it  was  useless  to  try  to 
escape;  I  hoped  they  were  English.  When  they  came 
up,  without  further  question  I  was  ordered  to  *'  come 
along."  Their  worn  clothing  looked  like  khaki,  but  their 
hats  were  felt  with  a  black  feather — not  helmets.  Their 
general  appearance  was  rough.  I  started  to  explain  that  I 
was  a  correspondent,  but  that  wouldn't  '*  go."  Off  I  went 
between  them  up  the  kopje,  over  a  barb-wire  fence  ;  the  men 
silent,  refusing  to  answer  any  questions.  Passing  around 
a  spur  in  a  hollow  of  the  kopje,  I  saw  half  a  hundred  horses 
and  as  many  men  scattered  about  half  a  dozen  fires.  A 
rough  Boer-looking  wagon  occupied  a  conspicuous  position  ; 
beside  it  I  saw  a  tall,  slender  officer  in  unmistakable  khaki, 
and  I  knew  it  was  only  another  case  of  ''show  up"  of 
passes  and  on  I  could  go.  But  the  delay  was  vexatious. 
The  officer  smilingly  inspected  my  papers,  and  then,  with 

96 


"THE  TIMES"  MESS  AND  ADVENTURES 

what  I  had  learned  to  recognize  as  the  aristocratic  drawl, 
said, 

''  If  you  are  going  on  to  General  French,  you  will  be 
unable  to  get  there  before  dark,  so  you  may  as  well  take 
supper  with  us  and  stay  here  until  morning.  We  have 
just  made  a  rather  rich  haul,"  here  he  looked  toward  the 
wagon,  ''and,  really,  it  will  be  worth  your  while."  So, 
for  the  third  time  in  two  days,  I  promptly  accepted  an  invi- 
tation to  dinner.  The  command  proved  to  be  the  squadron 
of  Roberts'  Light  Horse,  occupying  the  kopje  as  an  out- 
post of  General  French's  cavalry  brigade.  Receiving  here 
definite  information  as  to  the  location  of  General  French's 
headquarters,  it  was  really  unnecessary  for  me  to  proceed 
farther  the  same  evening,  as  I  could  accomplish  my  mis- 
sion the  following  morning  and  return  to  Lord  Roberts' 
headquarters  before  noon. 

The  squadron  had  taken  part  in  the  rout  of  the  Boer 
outpost  from  Kitchener's  Kopje  that  morning,  attacking  the 
fleeing  burghers  on  the  flank,  capturing  a  number  of 
horses,  transport  wagons,  and  the  personal  cart  belonging 
to  the  elder  General  Botha.  The  troop-major  offered  me  a 
drink  of  whiskey  from  General  Botha's  private  supply, 
pried  open  a  fresh  box  of  Botha's  cigars,  and  while  I 
smoked  one  of  a  handful  he  spread  out  before  me  the 
General's  own  military  commission,  signed  by  President 
Steyn  of  the  Orange  Free  State.  Then  we  sat  down  to 
dinner,  served  on  General  Botha's  dishes,  spread  oji  a 
blanket  from  the  General's  cart,  and  by  the  time  we  got 
down  to  a  second  issue  of  his  cigars  and  whiskey,  and  were 
soothed  by  the  digestive  process  acting  on  tender  and  well- 
cooked  lamb,  we  all  agreed  that  General  Botha  had  per- 
formed a  signal  service  to  the  Imperial  army,  represented 
by  ourselves,  by  his  precipitate  departure  from  the  field  of 
action  and  unceremonious  desertion  of  his  luxurious  outfit. 
7  97 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

*' It  is  a  mistake  to  call  the  Boer  Generals  barbarians," 
remarked  the  Major,  as  he  removed  a  choice  cigar  from 
between  his  teeth,  to  drain  from  a  china  teacup  the  last 
drops  of  the  first  decent  coffee  that  had  passed  his  lips  since 
before  the  dark  days  of  Magersfontein. 

By  the  dim  firelight,  after  supper,  I  had  conversations 
with  a  few  of  the  troopers.  One  was  an  old  Californian  and 
had  been  to  the  Klondyke,  which  made  us  friends  at  once ; 


D  Troop,  Roberts'  Light  Horse,  Lieutenant  Bradshaw  in  command.  Brad- 
shaw  resigned  from  Her  Majesty's  Army  half  a  dozen  years  ago,  drifted 
to  the  Western  United  States,  and  became  a  member  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry, 
U.  S.  A.  After  serving  his  term  of  enlistment  he  became  an  officer  in 
the  Philadelphia  Mounted  Police  Force,  serving  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
war,  when  Lord  Roberts  offered  him  a  commission  by  cable  from  Cape 
Town,  which  he  accepted  at  once.      His  wife  is  a  niece  of  Lady  Roberts. 


he  was  now  the  officers'  cook,  and  had  captured  the  wagon, 
single-handed,  that  morning.  He  was  tall  and  lanky,  and 
confidentially  expressed  immeasurable  contempt  for  the 
'•  slow  Britishers." 

**  Why,"  said  he,  "  if  I  had  half  a  hundred  Texas  rangers 
or  Apache  scouts  out  here  I'd  be  in  Bloemfontein  by  this 
time.  And  what  do  you  think?"  he  continued:  "Our 
bloomin'    Major  has  asked   Bobs'   permission   to  keep  this 

98 


"THE  TIMES"  MESS  AND  ADVENTURES 

damn  cart  !  They'll  likely  take  it  away  from  us  for  his 
foolishness,  instead  of  keepin'  his  mouth  shut  and  holdin' 
onto  it." 

Another  type  of  trooper  was  the  Honorable  William 
Beresford,  son  of  one  of  Jthe  Lords  Beresford,  brother  of 
the  ''Central  News  "  correspondent  and  of  Captain  Beresford 
of  the  Irregular  Horse.  He  was  one  of  hundreds  of 
younger  sons  who  went  to  Cape  Town  and  there  enlisted 
in  the  irregular  horse  squadrons  out  of  pure  ''deviltry" 
and  desire  to   "see  the  show." 

Johnson,  the  cook,  gave  an  exhibition  of  Yankee  enter- 
prise the  day  before  my  arrival  by  capturing  a  handsome 
stallion,  for  which  his  aristocratic  Major  paid  him  twenty- 
five  pounds.  Months  afterward  I  learned  that  the  stallion 
escaped  two  nights  later,  in  spite  of  two  men  who  had  been 
detailed  to  watch  him  ;  and  as  for  General  Botha's  cart  and 
the  other  supplies  captured  that  morning,  the  whole  outfit 
was  retaken,  and  a  score  of  the  troop,  including  the  Yankee 
cook,  were  either  killed  or  captured  by  General  De  Wet  at 
Sanna's  Post,  near  Bloemfontein. 

Before  I  left  on  the  following  morning  the  Yankee  cook 
helped  me  select  a  new  saddle,  bridle  and  wallets  from  the 
heap  of  captured  Boer  effects,  and  when  I  rode  off  to  Koo- 
doosrand  I  had  a  Hghter  heart,  a  fuller  stomach,  a  better 
outfit  and  kinder  feelings  for  Tommy  and  his  officers  than 
at  any  time  since  I  had  "  hit  the  trail  "  in  South  Africa. 


99 


CHAPTER  XII. 

UNDER    ARREST    AGAIN. 

ARRIVING  at  General  French's  headquarters,  I  found 
no  trace  of  the  missing  correspondent,  and  so  re- 
turned toward  Paardeburg.  Dinner-time  brought  me  again 
to  the  Scottish  Borderers  as  the  officers  were  sitting  down 
to  their  midday  meal,  and  for  the  second  time  I  became  their 
guest  until  an  approaching  rainstorm  made  me  hurry  off, 
despite  cordial  invitations  to  remain.  The  farm  was  sur- 
rounded by  an  immense  hedge  of  century  plants,  enclosing 
at  least  forty  acres  of  ground.  As  I  rode  out  at  the  lower 
end  I  passed  seven  or  eight  ponies,  all  of  which  were  more 
or  less  disabled  by  saddle-galls  or  wounds.  As  they  could 
only  hobble  about  slowly,  I  practiced  on  them  for  a  few 
moments  with  a  leather  lariat  I  had  constructed  out  of  half  a 
dozen  straps,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  with  an  opportunity 
to  lasso  one  of  the  occasional  Boer  ponies  I  saw  on  the 
veldt.  Having  developed  all  the  skill  I  cared  to,  and  as 
the  rain  was  coming  on,  I  off-saddled  under  a  tree,  covered 
my  saddles  and  blankets  with  my  mackintosh,  and  turned 
my  pony  loose  with  the  others,  to  feed.  In  half  an  hour 
the  rain  slackened,  and  after  some  difficulty  I  lassoed  my 
own  horse.  Before  I  could  lift  the  saddle  to  his  back  I 
was  startled  by  two  Tommies  coming  up  on  a  run,  rifle  in 
hand,  with  two  more  following  closely  behind. 

''You're  wanted  up  to  the  'ouse,"  panted  Mr.  Atkins. 

"Who  wants  me?"  I  queried. 

''The  Adjutant's  orders  are  to  bring  you  in  ;  come  on." 

"But  what   does  he  want  me  for?"  I  gasped,  staring  at 

lOO 


UNDER  ARRES1'^i^Xi>M^^^ 

the  fellow,  who  was  getting  behind  me,  as  though  to  pre- 
vent my  running  away. 

*'  I  don't  know,  sir  ;  but  you  mustn't  keep  him  waiting. 
The  orders  are  to  bring  that  man  what's  chasing  them 
'orses  in." 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  I  said,  understanding  at  last  that  I  was 
once  more  under  arrest, — this  time  for  attempted  horse- 
stealing. '*  I'll  go  right  with  you.  Here — help  me  saddle 
this  horse." 

Thomas  nearly  had  a  fit  at  this. 

**  No,  no,"  he  protested  ;  **  you  mustn't ;  come  right 
away." 

Further  remarks  on  my  part  were  utterly  superfluous, 
for  with  a  *'  Line  up,  men  !"  one  stepped  beside  me, 
another  took  his  place  behind,  the  first  man  took  the  lead 
ten  paces  ahead,  and  to  avoid  being  hustled  I  walked 
along,  externally  quiet,  but  a  raging  volcano  of  suppressed 
wrath  inside  ;  for,  in  addition  to  the  waste  of  my  valuable 
time,  my  horse  was  still  loose,  and  my  saddle  and  blankets 
were  lying  in  the  rain,  which  had  again  begun  to  fall. 

Right  here  let  me  pause  in  my  story  to  advise  anyone 
who  aspires  to  become  a  war  correspondent,  a  foreign  mili- 
tary attache,  or  who  in  any  capacity  may  happen  to  get  in 
the  path  of  the  British  army.  When  you  find  yourself  up 
against  Tommy,  don't  waste  time  talking  to  him.  Wait 
until  you  see  his  officer,  and  devoutly  pray  that  that  may 
not  be  long.  And  include  in  your  prayers  that  the  officer 
may  be  a  colonel,  major-general,  or  field  marshal, — the 
higher  the  rank,  the  better. 

Back  through  the  rain  we  marched — I,  who  had  left  the 
Colonel's  table  an  hour  previously,  after  a  hearty  clasp  of 
that  officer's  hand.  'Twas  a  long  walk  for  me,  past  dozens 
of  grinning  Tommies,  some  of  whom  recognized  me  as  the 
Colonel's  guest,  and,  being  quick  to  see  the  mistake,  began 

lOI 


.     V;iTH  ''BOBS''  AND  KRUGER 

guying  my  escort.  Others,  less  informed,  took  me  for  a 
spy,  and  regarded  me  with  an  unpleasant  show  of  curiosity. 
We  halted  on  the  clearing  where  the  dinner-tables  still 
stood.  Several  lieutenants,  seeing  me,  started  to  walk 
over  to  speak,  saw  my  business-like  escort,  stared  in  as- 
tonishment, and  abruptly  turned  and  walked  off.  I  was  fast 
becoming  rabidly  pro-Boer.  My  three  guards  remained 
standing  about  me  while  the  first  went  off  to  report  to  the 
Adjutant.  It  was  no  joke ;  I  might  be  detained  a  day 
or  more,  or  heaven  only  knew  what  worse  idiocy  my  late 
hosts  might  be  guilty  of.  At  this  moment  the  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  stepped  out  of  the  bushes  by  the  brook,  and  see- 
ing me,  said  pleasantly, 

"  Halloo  !  So  you've  decided  to  wait  till  the  storm  is 
over,  after  all  ?" 

**  Since  you  have  done  me  the  honor  of  extending  the 
invitation  in  so  kind  a  manner,  certainly,"  I  replied  freez- 
ingly,  to  a  degree  calculated  to  congeal  the  rain-drops  into 
hailstones.  This  officer  was  one  of  those  good-hearted, 
friendly  men  whom  wanderers  like  myself  learn  to  ap- 
preciate as  the  salt  of  the  earth  ;  and  as  the  bewilderment 
on  his  face  grew  until  he  noticed  my  escort  some  distance 
back,  I  dropped  my  foolish  dignity,  and  in  reply  to  his  un- 
asked question  said,  indicating  the  guard  to  my  right, 
**  This  gentleman  will  explain  things."  The  Colonel  looked 
at  the  man  and  said, 

*'  Well,  what  does  this  mean  ?"  Then,  before  the  fellow 
got  fairly  started  on  his  explanation,  he  broke  in  with  an 
angry  wave  of  his  hand  and  a  sharp,  "  Here,  you  ;  get  out 
of  this  !"  and  the  by-this-time  badly-frightened  Tommies 
scattered,  leaving  me  a  free  man  once  more. 

I  then  explained  to  my  rescuer,  who  apologized  for  the 
mistake, — adding,  by  way  of  explanation,  that  the  Adjutant 
had  not  been  to  dinner  with  us,  and  had  therefore  failed  to 

102 


UNDER  ARREST  AGAIN 

recognize  me  through  his  field-glass  before  giving  the  order 
for  my  arrest  Though  still  badly  ruffled,  I  managed  to 
have  the  grace  to  laugh  at  the  affair  ;  and  then  in  spite  of 
my  protests  the  Colonel,  determined  that  the  unintentional 
discourtesy  should  be  atoned  for  as  much  as  possible, 
walked  bare-headed  through  the  rain  all  the  way  back  to 
where  my  horse  fortunately  still  stood,  help  me  up-saddle, 
and  waited  until  I  was  well  on  my  way  beyond  his  out- 
post before  he  returned. 

A  week  or  more  later,  after  Cronje's  surrender,  I  passed 
this  same  regiment  encamped  on  the  open  veldt  several 
miles  away.  Stopping  to  chat  a  few  minutes  with  its  com- 
manding officer,  he  asked  me  when  I  was  going  back  to 
Modder  River  station,  and  if  I  would  undertake  to  secure 
transportation  **  at  any  expense  "  for  their  personal  supplies 
which  had  been  left  there.  He  would  make  me  a  present 
of  a  case  of  whiskey  if  I  found  myself  able  to  manage 
the  matter,  hinted  that  he  would  not  object  to  my  mak- 
ing a  good  profit  on  the  transportation  contract,  and 
gave  me  an  order  without  limit  on  the  entire  outfit,  worth 
several  hundred  pounds  at  least,  in  order  to  facilitate  their 
removal  from  the  hands  of  the  railway  authorities.  I  was 
not  able  to  get  the  things  carted  to  the  regiment,  but  I  still 
retain  as  a  valued  souvenir  the  Colonel's  order  for  the  offi- 
cers' kit  of  the  K.  O.  S.  B.  Regiment  which  twice  dined 
me,  and  then  arrested  me  as  a  horse-thief 

Arriving  at  the  correspondents'  camp  at  Paardeburg,  I 
found  Major  Pollock  just  arrived  with  a  wagon-load  of 
forage,  supplies  and  baggage  ;  and,  after  making  a  hasty 
report,  the  three  of  us  took  refuge  in  the  already  overloaded 
wagon  from  a  terrific  cloudburst  of  rain,  while  the  Kaffir 
servants  stood  outside  as  carelessly  as  though  getting  wet 
was  their  regular  occupation.  Before  dark  the  rain  stopped, 
and  we  moved  our  camp  across  a  donga  (gulch)  and  within 

103 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

a  stone's  throw  of  Lord  Roberts'  tent,  where  we  found  a 
suitable  spot  between  the  headquarters  staff  and  the  field 
hospital,  near  the  river  bank.  Beyond  were  the  picket- 
lines  and  a  three-mile  stretch  up  the  river  to  the  laager. 
Amery  had  tried  his  hand  at  commandeering,  having  brought 
in  a  small  mule  which  he  found  on  the  veldt  after  leav- 
ing me  the  day  before.  During  the  rainstorm  it  wandered 
away,  fell  down  a  thirty-foot  embankment  into  the  river, 
and  after  an  hour's  effort  to  pry  him  out  of  the  mud  we 
abandoned  the  attempt.  Two  days  later  he  was  still  stand- 
ing in  the  river,  the  water  up  to  his  shoulders,  and  quietly 
eating  the  grass  on  its  bank,  and  there  he  remained  until 
the  rising  waters  of  the  Modder  in  flood  washed  him  with 
a  thousand  other  carcasses  down  the  river,  out  of  the  Free 
State  and  into  the  Orange  River  and  Cape  Colony,  thirty- 
five  miles  westward. 


104 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    PAARDEBURG. 

MAJOR  POLLOCK  returned  to  Modder  River  station 
the  following  day,  bearing  our  letters  and  censored 
press  despatches  for  **  The  Times."  Crossing  the  river  to 
see  something  of  the  British  positions  to  the  northward,  I 
rode  up  a  slight  elevation,  where  several  officers  were 
grouped  about  a  heliograph  and  examining  a  map.  The 
central  figure  was  General  Sir  Henry  Colville,  of  the  Ninth 
Division,  who  gave  me  an  appointment  for  the  afternoon, 
to  hear  from  him  the  story  of  the  battle  of  Paardeburg  the 
previous  Saturday  and  Sunday, — a  day  before  Amery  and 
I  had  started  on  our  ride  to  Jacobsdal  in  search  of  head- 
quarters. Leaving  the  General,  I  managed  to  get  within 
a  thousand  yards  of  the  laager  on  our  side  of  the  river, 
where  another  lyddite  gun  and  a  number  of  eight-inch 
howitzers  were  in  position.  There  was  no  firing  that  day 
except  between  sharpshooters,  or  ''snipers,"  as  they  were 
called,  and  I  did  not  give  them  sufficient  time  to  get  my 
range  on  this  occasion,  when  the  first  bullet  ''zinged" 
overhead. 

Late  that  afternoon  Amery  and  I  rode  over  to  Spy 
Kopje,  from  which  we  had  watched  the  general  bombard- 
ment a  few  days  before.  We  found  General  Colville's 
headquarters  at  its  base,  only  two  hundred  yards  from  the 
awful  grave  containing  two  hundred  of  his  men.  Taking 
us  to  the  top  of  the  kopje,  the  courteous  General  told  us 
for  "The  Times"  how  Cronje  was  surrounded.  When 
General  French  made  his  brilliant  dash  into  the  Free  State 

105 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


the  till-then  greatest  of  Boer  leaders  made  a  blunder  which 
led  on  to  his  Waterloo,  and  which  subsequent  events 
pointed  to  as  ''  the  turning-point  of  the  war." 

General  Cronje's  forces,  beginning  a  retreat  up  the  north 
bank  of  the  Modder  River,  came  in  touch  with  the  ex- 
hausted forces  of  General  French,  attempting  to  rejoin  the 
main  army,  and  forced  that  famous  cavalry  leader  to  retreat 
into  Kimberley,  with  his  half-starved 
horses  and  men.  These  were  the  facts. 
A  report  was  sent  on  to  Bloemfontein 
and  Pretoria  that  General  French  and 
ten  thousand  men  were  additional  pris- 
oners in  Kimberley,  and  great  was  Boer 
rejoicing  throughout  the  land  ;  and  had 
Cronje  returned  to  his  strong  positions, 
just  abandoned,  the  siege  of  Kimberley 
might  have  been  continued,  and  the 
entire  further  history  of  the  war  would 
have  been  different. 

But  now  a  great  strategic  lie  was  told 
to  the  world.  The  news  was  cabled  to 
England  that  **  Kimberley  had  been 
relieved  by  French  with  the  cavalry  di- 
vision." All  London  and  the  world  be- 
lieved the  lie,  and  while  London  and  the 
Stock  Exchange  went  into  a  delirium  of  joy,  Paris  and  St, 
Petersburg  sent  m.essages  of  condolence  to  Bloemfontein 
and  Pretoria,  and  the  foolish  Boers,  instead  of  holding  fast 
until  the  world  learned  the  truth,  were  themselves  deceived. 
The  wildest  consternation  reigned,  and  Cronje  con- 
tinued his  lamentable  retreat  toward  Bloemfontein,  leaving 
the  way  open  for  the  restoration  of  direct  communication 
between  the  Modder  River  and  Kimberley,  and  allowing 
the  great  strategic  lie  to  become  a  fact. 

1 06 


General  Sir  Henry  Col- 
ville.  Photographed 
at  Bloemfontein. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PAARDEBURG 

From  then  on  misfortune  seemed  to  follow  every  move 
made  by  Cronje.  On  the  evening  of  February  i6  he  at- 
tempted to  cross  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Modder  at  Klip 
Drift.  He  was  halted  in  this  attempt  by  General  Kelly- 
Kenny's  division,  which  had  marched  thither  to  head  him 
off  from  Orange  River  Camp.  Then  followed  a  race  east- 
ward, each  of  the  hostile  forces  on  either  river  bank  trying 
to  get  ahead  of  the  other ;  the  one  to  cross,  the  other  to 
prevent  a  crossing,  to  the  south  bank.  Only  seventeen 
more  miles  were  made  that  night,  for  Cronje's  transport 
service  was  crippled.  The  oxen  and  horses  alike  were 
dropping  by  the  way  from  fatigue,  refusing  to  get  up,  so. 
their  frantic  masters  soon  abandoned  the  effort  and  simply 
cut  them  out  of  the  teams,  thereby  increasing  the  burdens 
of  the  others.  At  Klip  Drift  more  than  eighty  bullock- 
carts  were  abandoned  during  the  short  fighting  with  Kelly- 
Kenny.  The  supplies  were  partially  destroyed  by  the 
Boers  themselves. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i8th  Cronje  arrived  at  Paarde- 
burg  Drift,  and  was  about  to  cross  the  river  again  when 
Kelly-Kenny's  men  were  seen  several  miles  to  the  south- 
ward, nearly  abreast  of  the  Boers.  The  few  carts  already 
across  returned,  and  the  weary  trek  up  the  north  bank  con- 
tinued. Four  miles  more  were  covered,  when  from  a 
ridge  of  kopjes  to  the  northeast  a  large  body  of  horsemen 
were  seen,  heading  off  further  progress  in  that  direction. 
This  was  the  cavalry  division  under  General  French,  which 
had  left  Kimberley  that  morning  at  three  o'clock,  arriving 
at  the  river  at  one  o'clock,  after  a  forced  march  of  thirty- 
two  miles. 

A  determined  effort  was  then  made  by  the  Boers  to  force 
a  passage  at  this  point,  where  there  was  a  big  bend  or  loop 
in  the  river.  A  number  of  horsemen  got  across,  but  only 
in  time  to  unsling  their  rifles  and  repel  with  great  slaughter 

107 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

a  charge  made  by  the  Highland  Brigade.  I  was  afterward 
told  that  the  men  of  the  Black  Watch  and  others  ran  madly 
down  toward  the  river,  not  half  so  much  to  charge  the 
enemy  as  to  get  a  drink  of  water,  for  which  they  were 
almost  perishing.  A  kopje  almost  three  miles  south  of  the 
river  was  seized  by  the  British  by  command  of  Lord  Kitch- 
ener, thereby  becoming  named  for  him.  This  position 
eventually  prevented  further  progress  of  the  Boers  in  that 
direction.  General  Colville  with  the  Ninth  Division  arrived 
in  time  to  take  part  in  the  charge  on  the  river  bank.  Several 
of  his  guns  were  sent  across  the  drift  to  the  north  bank  and 
•joined  French's  artillery,  and  Cronje's  retreat  was  completely 
cut  off.  During  the  night  the  Boers  occupied  themselves 
in  constructing  their  wonderful  bomb-proof  shelters  and 
trenches.  A  few  crossed  the  river  and  got  as  far  as 
Kitchener's  Kopje,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the 
British. 

Here  they  stopped  and  occupied  the  position,  a  piece  of 
good  fortune  which,  if  taken  advantage  of,  might  have  saved 
Cronje  further  loss  than  that  of  his  transport.  For  the  next 
three  days  the  Boers  held  this  position,  while  the  British 
artillery  pounded  away  at  the  laager,  the  sappers  worked 
their  way  up  and  down  the  river  bed,  and  the  **  snipers"  on 
both  sides  picked  off  their  victims.  The  first  day's  fighting 
had  cost  the  EngHsh  over  eleven  hundred  men — more  than 
one-fourth  as  many  men  as  were  in  Cronje's  entire  army. 
Meanwhile  reinforcements  had  arrived  from  Bloemfontein, 
and  by  night  scouts  arrived  in  the  laager  with  orders  from 
President  Steyn  for  Cronje  to  abandon  his  wagons  and  come 
out  while  the  reinforcements  under  General  Botha  held  the 
English  back. 

But  now  the  very  qualities  which  had  made  Cronje  great 
in  success  conspired  to  bring  about  his  downfall.  He  was 
a   religious  fanatic ;    he  believed    himself  inspired   by  the 

io8 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PAARDEBURG 

Almighty  ;  and,  his  Dutch  stubbornness  asserting  itself  with 
all  its  intensity,  he  sent  back  the  reply, 

"  No  ;  I  will  stay  here  until  I  have  killed  all  the  English." 
For  three  nights  the  orders  and  entreaties  for  him  to 
escape  while  the  way  was  yet  open  were  ignored  by  the 
old  Free  Stater,  and  then,  with  the  attack  on  Kitchener's 
Kopje  on  the  morning  that  I  started  for  Koodoosrand  Drift, 
the  outpost  was  driven  from  that  point  and  the  great  khaki 
net  was  at  last  drawn  completely  around  the  doomed  army, 
though  on  the  preceding  night  fifteen  hundred  of  Cronje's 
men,  in  defiance  of  orders,  succeeded  in  crossing  the  drift 
and  escaping  toward  Bloemfontein,  as  the  entire  army 
mis^ht  have  done  had  its  commander  been  less  firm  at  the 
onetime  in  his  life  that  yielding  to  others  would  have  saved 
him,  and  perhao^-ihis  country. 

A  siege  of  oiie  week  followed  this  last  effort  to  relieve 
Cronje.  Botha  was  driven  back  with  a  loss  of  a  few  men 
killed  and  wounded,  about  fifty  prisoners,  and  part  of  his 
transports.  Wild  stories  of  doings  in  the  laager  filtered 
through  the  lines  and  spread  about  the  camp.  One  was 
that  a  committee  of  eight  of  the  most  influential  burghers 
waited  on  Cronje  with  a  recommendation  to  surrender. 
Incensed  at  this,  it  was  said  that  he  shot  them  down  in  cold 
blood,  one  after  another.  The  bombardment  almost  ceased, 
for  Roberts  had  come  to  realize  that,  with  the  hundreds  of 
dead  horses  and  cattle  lying  all  over  the  laager,  beneath 
the  hot  sun,  the  position  would  soon  become  untenable 
because  of  its  own  terrors.  After  the  surrender,  a  British 
surgeon  who  visited  the  laager  was  compelled  three  times 
within  an  hour  to  submit  to  a  penalty  like  unto  that  of 
sea-sickness,  and  the  Boers  themselves  confessed  to  having 
suffered  in  the  same  way  every  time  they  attempted  to  eat. 
Toward  the  end  an  effort  was  made  to  break  away  with 
the  transports,  but  the  British  managed  to  get  the  range 

109 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

of  the  drift  with  their   lyddite,  and  the  attempt  was  aban- 
doned. 

Sufficient  artillery-play  upon  the  position  was  kept  up  to 
compel  the  burghers,  with  their  several  hundred  men,  women 
and  children,  to  remain  in  their  crowded  quarters  enveloped 
in  the  intolerable  stenches,  day  and  night.  The  lyddite 
set  the  wagons  on  fire,  and  within  a  few  days  only  a  heap 


Family  of  Free  State  Boer  women  and  children  living  near  DeWetsdorp.  The 
father,  husband  and  two  brothers  were  captured  with  General  Cronje  at 
Paardeburg.     One  other  brother  was  killed. 


of  iron  bands,  bolts  and  framework,  black  and  charred, 
and  resting  on  a  pile  of  ashes,  marked  the  place  where  each 
had  halted  on  Sunday,  the  i8th. 

Meanwhile,  back  in  the  shady  grove  of  trees  about  head- 
quarters, in  the  correspondents'  camp,  a  new  world  full  of 
incident  and  happening  had  opened  up  to  me,  in  which  I 
had  an  interview  with  Lord  Stanley,  which  nearly  resulted 
in  his  sending  me  off  to  Cape   Town.      I  placated   him  by 

no 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PAARDEBURG 

ceasing  my  useless  protest  and  accepting  his  decision  that 
I  was  not  to  advance  more  than  five  hundred  yards  ahead 
of  headquarters.  Afterward  he  relented,  and  said  that  if  at 
any  time  an  action  might  be  probable,  he  would  give  me 
special  permission  to  go  out  to  *'see  the  show."  His  pur- 
pose was  to  prevent  ''The  Times  "  from  seeming  to  have 
three  correspondents ;  as  a  number  of  papers  had  been 
allowed  to  have  only  two,  he  did  not  care  to  allow  even 
"  The  Times  "  to  exceed  that  number.  But  I  soon  learned 
that  Lord  Stanley  was  a  man  who  said  a  great  many  things 
in  the  course  of  a  day  and  forgot  them  later,  so  I  did 
pretty  much  as  I  pleased  about  that  five-hundred-yard  line. 


J, 

Jkl 

• 

^*M^ 

M 

%■ 

i| 

^M^ 

P 

Iq 

Vf 

r 

m 

«l^^^^^ 

1 

M 

The  Turkish  Military  Attache  to  Lord  Roberts'  headquarters. 


Ill 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

CHICKENS    AND    CHICANERY. 

RETURNING  to  our  camp  after  listening  to  General 
Colville's  description  of  the  first  day's  fight,  we  found 
Landon  had  returned.  He  was  a  tall,  dark,  ruddy-faced 
Englishman,  with  eyes  rather  close  together,  one  of  them 
occasionally  going  off  on  the  bias,  a  brown  mustache,  good 
figure,  kind,  but  reserved  and  very  **  casual."  He  accepted 
my  entree  into  the  scene  of  operations  quite  as  he  would 
have  taken  a  letter  from  the  postman — to  be  given  a  certain 
amount  of  attention,  and  then  pigeon-holed  for  future 
reference.  For  the  next  few  weeks  I  regarded  this  able 
representative  of  England's  *' Thunderer"  as  the  very  beau 
ideal  of  all  that  a  war  correspondent  should  be,  and,  until 
his  nervous  and  physical  collapse  at  Bloemfontein,  I  found 
it  well  to  study  his  methods,  and  to  a  certain  extent  make 
him  my  model. 

One  remark  he  made  the  first  night  I  met  him  impressed 
me  deeply,  and  described  the  man  himself  quite  accurately. 
It  was  after  dinner,  and  five  correspondents  were  smoking 
pipes  or  cigarettes,  each  contributing  his  share  to  the  post- 
prandial conversation,  the  faces  darkly  outlined  by  the 
light  of  a  badly-damaged  lantern.  From  the  operating 
tents  of  the  field-hospital  close  by  escaped  an  occasional 
groan,  as  the  surgeons'  knives  carved  their  way  toward 
relief,  while  about  the  rudely-piled  camp-fires  the  slightly 
wounded  and  convalescents  grouped  themselves  in  vivid 
contrasts  of  light  and  shadow.  In  front  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Field  Marshal  and  his  staff,  quartered  with 

112 


CHICKENS  AND  CHICANERY 

the  rude  luxury  of  Cape-cart  and  trek-wagon  ;  beyond, 
the  field-telegraph  and  darkness ;  nearby,  the  subdued 
murmuring  of  the  Modder  as  its  waters  swirled  around  a 
dozen  bloated  carcasses,  caught  by  the  branches  of  a  sub- 
merged  tree  in  an   eddy.     When   my  turn   came  to  talk 


Lord  Stanley,  eldest  son  of  the  Earl  of  Derby,  Chief  Press  Censor  under  Lord 
Roberts,  attached  to  the  Field  Marshal' s  staff  with  rank  of  Colonel.  Lord 
Stanley  is  an  active  member  of  the  Lower  House  of  Parliament,  holding 
the  important  position  of  "  Government  Whip."  In  tactfully  controlling 
the  small  army  of  newspaper  men  without  giving  offence,  his  was  by  far 
the  most  difficult  position  on  Lord  Roberts'  staff.  The  photograph  was 
taken  at  Bloemfontein  a  month  after  Paardeburg. 


about  myself,  I  gave  an  outline  sketch  of  my  travels  and 
unique  experiences  in  strange  places  abroad  and  stranger 
places  at  home,  and  concluded  with  the  statement  that  I 
had  always  made  it  an  object  in  life,  rather  than  bend  my 
energies  to  mere  accumulation  of  material  things,  to  see  all 
«  113 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

the  things  and  places  worth  seeing.  The  silence  that 
followed  this  remark  was  broken  by  Landon  turning  to 
me  and  saying,  with  intensified  English  accent  and  de- 
liberation, 

**  Did  it  never  occur  to  you  how  much  better  it  would 
be  to  make  it  the  object  of  your  life  to  get  to  know  the 
people  worth  knowing?"  Often  afterward  I  suspected 
Landon  of  a  half-veiled  sarcasm  in  his  remarks  to  me  after 
dinner  during  those  evenings  on  the  veldt,  and  this  first  time 
I  promptly  "  came  back  at  him  "  by  admitting  that  the  idea 
was  a  new  one  to  me  ;  but  that,  now  that  I  had  met  him  and 
Kipling,  I  would  adopt  it  instead  of  my  old  one,  just  ex- 
pressed. 

Later,  when  the  company  had  narrowed  down  to  "The 
Times  "  representatives  only,  I  told  them  that  while  Lord 
Stanley  had  given  me  pseudo-recognition  as  a  correspond- 
ent, yet  I  would  not  be  satisfied  until  he  had  given  me  a 
full,  unHmited  hcense  on  the  regular  form  issued  to  the 
other  correspondents,  and  like  the  one  I  already  had,  which, 
however,  limited  me  to  General  Gatacre's  division.  For 
some  reason  this  struck  Landon  as  being  somewhat  pre- 
sumptuous, and  he  told  me  the  story  of  how  Kipling  and 
an  energetic  American  journalist  had  seen  a  sea-serpent  at 
the  same  time  ;  how  the  American  proposed  to  startle  Eng- 
land with  an  account  of  the  discovery  ;  how  Kipling  ad- 
vised him  to  write  up  the  tale  as  fiction  ;  how  the  American 
scorned  the  advice  and  suggestion  that  a  people  seven 
hundred  years  older  than  himself  could  not  be  expected  to 
be  jarred  into  quicker  activity,  journalistic  or  otherwise,  by 
a  youngster  from  across  the  Atlantic  ;  how  he  tried  the  sea- 
serpent  on  every  newspaper  and  magazine  in  London,  and 
had  the  story  come  back  to  him  with  disgusting  regularity  ; 
and,  finally,  how  Kipling  found  him  one  morning  wander- 
ing about  the  aisles  of  Westminster,  shaking  his  head  and 

114 


CHICKENS  AND  CHICANERY 

greeting  his  former  adviser  with  the  remark,  waving  his 
hand  toward  the  surrounding  grandeur, 

**  I  understand  now  why  that  thing  wouldn't  go,  Enghsh 
journahsm  is  a  matter  of  growth  through  centuries.  Its 
motion  cannot  be  accelerated  ;  it  has  become  an  institution 
as  permanent  and   unchangeable  as  this  grand  old  pile." 

Then  the  American  journalist  went  home  in  a  properly 
humble  frame  of  mind. 

The  moral  of  this  tale  was  that  the  British  press  censor- 
ship was  not  an  affair  of  Lord  Stanley  alone ;  it  was  an 
institution, — the  growth  of  custom  and  precedent  that 
made  its  decisions  irrevocable ;  so  that  Lord  Stanley's 
**  No,"  once  said,  meant  "  No  "  forever,  and  that  the  sooner 
I  disabused  myself  of  the  idea  that  Lord  Stanley  could  be 
prevailed  upon  to  do  as  I  desired,  the  sooner  I  would  be 
free  from  the  certainty  of  disappointment.  When  we  went 
to  bed,  I  thought  of  the  Censors  at  Cape  Town  and  a  few 
other  obstacles  which  I  had  already  surmounted  ;  then  I 
dozed  off  to  sleep,  with  my  determination  still  unshaken  to 
make  Lord  Stanley  surrender  that  license. 

Early  next  morning  I  started  for  Modder  River  station 
with  despatches.  First,  I  had  taken  them  to  Lord  Stanley, 
who  read  the  telegrams  carefully,  crossing  out  a  word  here 
or  there,  and  stamping  with  his  seal  each  sheet.  The  letters 
were  stamped  only  on  the  outside,  as  the  correspondents 
were  on  their  honor  not  to  write  anything  inconsistent  with 
the  rules  on  the  subject.  The  stamping  insured  their  being 
unopened  by  the  postal  authorities  under  martial  law.  I 
asked  the  Censor  if  there  was  anything  I  could  do  for  him 
at  Modder  River,  and  he  gave  me  some  private  letters, 
including  several  of  the  Field  Marshal's,  to  carry  to  the 
postal  authorities  there.  This  made  me  for  the  time  being 
an  official  courier,  and  I  did  not  hesitate  to  take  advantage 
of  the  fact  to  exact  forage  for  my  horse  and  entertainment 

115 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

for  myself  from  every  outpost  and  camp  on  my  thirty-five 
mile  ride  during  that  morning.  I  was  welcomed  at  every 
point,  and  traded  news  for  cigarettes,  picking  up  more 
camp  gossip  to  peddle  further  on  ;  and  I  invariably  found 
the  British  officer  a  royal  good  fellow. 

During  my  ride  I  hac^  ample  opportunity  to  revolve  in 
my  mind  the  subject  of  the  Censorship — an  English  insti- 
tution— and  a  new  license.  I  vaguely  felt  that,  somehow. 
Lord  Stanley  could  be  ''worked."  Lord  Roberts  being 
the  highest  authority,  it  was  evident  that  the  trick  was  to 
be  done  through  him.  How  to  ingratiate  myself  with  the 
Field  Marshal  was  the  next  question.  A  brilliant  idea  was 
that,  as  I  had  heard  that  Lord  Roberts'  chief  aversion  was 
a  cat,  perhaps  it  would  be  well  to  bribe  a  Kaffir  to  loosen 
a  bagful  on  the  river  bank  by  his  headquarters  ;  then  I 
would  rush  gallantly  in,  snatch  the  creatures  by  the  necks 
or  tails,  and  bear  them  off  to  destruction.  But  this 
scheme  seemed  impracticable,  so  I  cast  about  for  another, 
which  I  found,  after  a  little  thought,  in  the  Field  Marshal's 
chief  weakness,  which  was  chickens  ;  but  he  had  issued  an 
order  against  looting,  and  this  was  a  bar  to  my  securing 
his  favorite  food.  On  my  return  to  Paardeburg  I  had  two 
healthy  fowls  packed  away  in  my  feed-bag  ;  but  don't  for  a 
moment  think  I  rushed  up  to  "  Bobs  "  with  my  prize.  Not 
a  bit  of  it.  Better  than  finding  a  way  to  ingratiate  myself 
with  that  great  man,  I  had  found  a  way  for  Lord  Stanley 
to  do  his  chief  a  little  but  valued  favor.  So  to  the  Censor, 
with  my  compliments,  the  chickens  were  given  ;  they  cost 
me  four  shillings  each,  but  I  told  Lord  Stanley  I  had  looted 
them.  I  knew  he  would  not  "  give  me  away,"  and  I  rightly 
guessed  he  would  turn  them  over  to  his  cook  and  invite 
"  Bobs  "  to  dinner  that  night. 

For  the  next  three  weeks,  from  every  long  ride  to  tele- 
graphic base  or  to  reconnoitre  for  "The  Times,"  I  returned 

Ii6 


CHICKENS  AND  CHICANERY 

with  one  or  more  feathered  companions.  At  times,  when 
it  was  advisable,  I  withheld  them  a  day  or  two.  Mean- 
while, tied  with  a  cord  to  a  cart-wheel,  they  strutted  about 
in  their  limited  area,  roosting  at  night  on  an  axle  ;  and  as, 
daily,  I  grew  in  favor  and  popularity  at  headquarters,  I 
fondly  watched  my  feathered  charges,  and  with  their  every 
peck  at  oats,  scattered  from  carelessly-filled  feed-bags,  I 
saw  the  greatest  English  institution  of  slow  growth  gradu- 


Major  Congrcve,  who  won  the  Victoria  Cross  with  Lieutenant  Roberts,  son 
of  the  Field  Marshal,  when  Lieutenant  Roberts  was  killed  in  the  effort 
to  save  Buller's  guns  at  Colenso. 

ally  undermined,  and  a  very  perceptible  wobbling  of  the 
lofty  towers  of  Westminster. 

During  my  first  ride  back  to  Modder  I  followed  the 
river  to  where  the  road  branched  southwest  to  Jacobsdal. 
I  had  now  about  fifteen  miles  farther  to  go.  Familiarity 
with  the  map,  however,  told  me  that  a  straighter  path 
across  the  virgin  veldt  would  cut  off  at  least  five  miles. 
The  country  was  as  flat  as  a  billiard-table,  the  day  was  in- 

117 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

tensely  hot,  the  sky  perfectly  cloudless.  Straight  ahead, 
apparently  just  above  the  horizon,  I  saw  inverted  in  the 
sky  a  perfect  picture  of  the  trees  and  station  buildings  at 
Modder  River. 

It  was  a  mirage.  I  had  seen  many  mirages  in  Alaska, 
and  in  the  Karroo  Desert  from  the  car-windows.  I  knew 
that  this  one  showed  me  the  direction,  suggesting  the 
shortest  distance  in  a  straight  line.  So  I  broke  a  new 
trail  across  the  veldt  and  saved  an  hour's  time,  thereby 
beating  a  rival  rider  for  another  London  paper  who  had 
started  simultaneously  with  me  from  Paardeburg.  Return- 
ing the  following  day,  I  joined  a  transport  convoy  just 
starting  for  Paardeburg.  The  commander.  Colonel  Um- 
phelby,  was  about  to  go  on  to  Jacobsdal.  I  told  him  of  the 
new  way  and  the  saving  it  would  effect,  and  he  followed  my 
advice.  A  week  later,  while  on  my  second  ride,  I  found 
that  others  had  followed  in  the  new  road  his  cart-wheels 
had  tracked,  and  that  the  virgin  veldt  through  which  I  had 
broken  my  trail  that  morning  had  since  become  a  broad 
and  well-defined  highway,  a  thousand  cart-wheels  having 
cut  a  path  through  the  sod,  churning  it  into  mud,  after 
which  it  had  sun-baked  until  the  road  was  hard  and  solid, 
while  ten  thousand  hoof-marks  between  the  tracks  and  on 
each  side  marked  the  road,  straight  as  an  arrow,  ten  miles 
across  the  open  veldt,  where  but  a  week  before  only 
straggly  grass.  Karroo-bush  and  grazing  cattle  or  cast-off 
horses  were  to  be  seen. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  February  27,  while  returning  to 
Paardeburg,  after  carrying  despatches  to  Modder  River,  I 
heard  loud  cheering  from  the  brigade  encamped  at  Klip 
Drift  as  I  passed  within  a  half  mile  of  their  quarters. 
Riding  a  dozen  miles  farther,  I  met  Amery  coming  at  full 
speed.  Connecting  this  with  the  incident  of  the  troops 
cheering,  I  rightly   guessed  that   Cronje  had  surrendered. 

118 


CHICKENS  AND  CHICANERY 

Amery  stopped  when  he  came  up  to  me,  scribbled  a  short 
letter,  exchanged  horses  with  me,  and  I  turned  back  to 
the  Modder  again.  Somewhere  on  the  veldt  half  a  dozen 
other  riders  were  on  their  way  to  the  same  point.  I  had 
already  ridden  twenty-five  miles  that  day,  but  there  was  no 
help  for  it — back  I  had  to  go  ;  and,  although  I  got  my 
despatches  in  ahead  of  the  others,  I  felt  that  a  hard  gallop 
of  over  fifty  miles  was  a  big  enough  price  to  pay  for  the 
honor. 

As  there  would  still  be  several  hours  before  sunset,  I 
decided  to  start  back  again  for  Paardeburg  the  same  day. 
Ten  miles  out  found  the  quick  night  swooping  down  over 
the  veldt,  and  fortunately  I  was  near  a  farmhouse  which 
had  not  been  looted. 

The  De  Villiers  family,  well  known,  and  formerly  very 
wealthy,  were  occupying  this  old  homestead.  They  gladly 
gave  me  entertainment,  hoping  to  get  some  news,  for  since 
the  invasion  of  the  Free  State  they  had  had  none  whatever. 
An  old  man,  over  eighty,  was  the  only  male  member  of 
the  family  at  home ;  three  women — his  wife  and  two 
daughters  and  a  child — made  up  the  rest  of  the  family. 
Only  one  servant  remained — an  old  Kaffir  "boy."  They 
had  lost  three  sons  in  the  war — one  killed,  one  captured, 
and  the  third,  a  mere  boy,  had  gone  off  with  some  cattle, 
and  had  never  been  heard  of  since.  The  Imperial  army, 
as  it  swept  across  this  farm,  had  carried  off  or  scattered 
four  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  two  hundred  horses,  be- 
sides a  thousand  sheep.  Thus  in  one  week's  time  this 
prominent  family  was  reduced  from  happiness  and  affluence 
to  sorrow  and  poverty.  During  the  evening  I  told  them 
something  of  the  siege  of  Cronje  and  what  little  I  knew  of 
his  surrender.    That  this  was  a  fact  they  refused  to  believe. 

'*  Why,"  said  one  of  the  women,  **  how  many  men  has 
Lord  Roberts?" 

119 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

I  answered, 

'*  About  fifty  thousand." 

''Then  Cronje  will  beat  him  !"   was  her  reply. 

"But,"  I  said,  "how  can  he,  with  only  five  thousand 
men  ?" 

"Why,"  she  answered,  "whenever  the  Boers  have  had 
only  one  to  ten  against  the  English  they  have  always  beaten 
them.  Look  at  Magersfontein,  where  Cronje  had  only  four 
hundred  men  !     And  then  remember  Majuba  !" 

"Yes,"  I  said,  "yesterday  was  Majuba  Day,  and  it  was 
then  that  Cronje  surrendered." 

Then  seeing  that  they  were  losing  patience  with  me,  and 
that  my  statements  were  making  no  impression,  I  changed 
the  subject. 

Early  the  next  morning,  as  I  was  about  to  continue  my 
journey,  I  saw  a  cavalcade  coming  along  the  road  near  the 
house.  When  it  drew  closer  I  called  the  old  farmer  and 
his  family  out,  and  together  we  saw  General  Cronje,  his 
wife,  secretary  and  eldest  son,  drive  past  in  a  carriage,  sur- 
rounded by  a  heavy  escort  of  mounted  City  Imperial  Vol- 
unteers, the  crack  London  corps.  When  they  had  passed, 
the  old  farmer  went  into  the  house,  and  a  few  minutes  after- 
ward I  found  him  sitting  in  the  kitchen,  his  head  and  arms 
on  the  table,  sobbing  bitterly,  while  the  women  were  walk- 
ing frantically  to  and  fro,  repeating  to  each  other,  "  Oh, 
we  never  thought  it  would  come  to  this  !"  "  Now  we  will 
never  be  able  to  beat  the  English  !"  and  so  on  indefinitely, 
showing  that  their  immediate  misfortunes  had  been  com- 
pletely forgotten  in  their  greater  grief  over  the  loss  of  their 
country's  independence,  which  they  seemed  to  reahze  was 
bound  to  follow  Cronje's  surrender. 

It  struck  me  as  being  very  odd — even  as  having  a  ludi- 
crous side — this  old-fashioned  outburst  of  patriotism  ;  yet  it 
was  very  touching,  and   I   rode   away   feeling   rather  de- 

I20 


CHICKENS  AND  CHICANERY 

pressed.  Coming  near  to  Klip  Drift  again,  I  saw  a  long 
line  of  men  approaching  over  a  distant  ridge,  straggling 
along  in  closer  order  than  troops  ever  marched,  and  with- 
out their  regular  formation.  They  looked  like  a  swarm  of 
locusts  creeping  over  the  veldt.  At  Klip  Drift  they  halted, 
and  I  saw  that  this  was  Cronje's  army,  marching  under  guard 
to  Modder  River,  to  be  sent  to  Cape  Town  by  rail.  They 
were  given  British  rations  of  tinned  corned-beef  and  biscuits 
while  they  sat  on  the  ground  where  they  halted,  armed 
Tommies  standing  guard  all  around,  while  several  regi- 
ments lay  nearby  on  the  grass,  rifles  in  hand,  in  constant 
readiness  should  the  prisoners  prove  troublesome.  Off  at 
one  side  several  hundred  of  the  women-prisoners  were 
grouped  about  a  few  wagons,  and  I  could  see  that  there 
were  children,  and  even  babies,  among  them.  Then  I  rode 
on  to  Paardeburg,  past  hundreds  of  carcasses  of  horses, 
bullocks  and  mules  which  lined  the  path  of  the  army  and 
gave  out  their  intolerable  odors  to  pollute  the  glorious 
atmosphere.  Here  and  there  were  abandoned  and  broken- 
down  trek-carts  ;  occasional  patches  of  veldt  covered  with 
shining  but  empty  tin  biscuit-boxes,  indicated  where  the 
army  had  halted  for  a  meal.  A  few  flocks  of  asvogels 
(vultures),  perched  on  masses  of  putrefaction,  flopped  awk- 
wardly out  of  my  way  as  I  galloped  on.  Toward  evening 
I  was  back  in  the  correspondents'  camp  by  the  Modder, 
with  the  oppressive  impression  still  strong  and  vivid  before 
my  eyes  induced  by  that  quietly-eating  army  of  prisoners 
sitting  under  the  hot  sun  back  at  Klip  Drift. 

In  camp  I  found  that  Major  Pollock  and  Amery  had 
passed  me  on  their  way  to  the  Modder,  Amery  going  back 
to  Cape  Town  to  resume  his  duties  as  base  correspondent, 
and  Pollock  for  supplies  and  with  despatches.  Landon  was 
still  at  headquarters,  and  our  mess  had  been  increased  by 
the  addition  of  Mr.  Young  of  the  Manchester  ''  Guardian," 

121 


WITH  '^BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

a  young  musical  critic  who  had  been  sent  out  to  write  war 
stories.  Verily,  war  correspondents  are  sometimes  carved 
out  of  queer  woods.  Young  was  a  splendid  fellow,  very 
impracticable,  aesthetic  to  a  fault,  and  quite  a  dreamer. 
His  servants  and  his  outfit  were  taken  care  of  by  Major 
Pollock  during  the  rest  of  the  campaign  until  we  reached 
Bloemfontein,  when  our  mess  broke  up  entirely. 


122 


CHAPTER    XV. 
cronje's  laager  and  his  surrender. 

CRONJE'S  offer  to  surrender  had  been  made  at  day- 
break, and  the  formal  ceremony  was  performed 
later.  It  seems  he  had  already  decided  to  give  up.  In 
the  morning,  about  three  hours  before  sunrise,  a  party  of 
the  Canadian  troops,  aided  by  sappers  of  the  Royal  Engi- 
neers, had  succeeded,  under  cover  of  darkness,  in  entrench- 
ing a  position  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  laager, 
flanking  the  Boer  trenches  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make 
them  untenable  when  daylight  came.  About  ten  of  the 
Canadians  and  forty  of  the  Boers  were  killed,  and  a  few 
more  wounded  in  the  short  but  sharp  fighting  which  pre- 
ceded the  offer  to  surrender. 

The  number  of  Boers  in  the  laager  was  a  matter  of  much 
speculation  before  the  surrender.  The  farmers  and  Boer 
prisoners  already  taken  said  the  number  could  not  exceed 
eight  or  nine  hundred,  for  Cronje  had  sent  part  of  his  com- 
mand off  in  different  directions  to  the  north  and  south  when 
he  started  on  his  unfortunate  retreat  up  the  Modder  River. 
The  actual  total  number  of  prisoners  taken  was  4090,  of 
whom  1327  were  Free  Staters.  The  sick  and  wounded 
numbered  only  163.  Despite  the  terrific  bombardment,  the 
number  of  men  killed  in  the  laager  was  only  Sy.  For  the 
capture  of  the  prisoners  and  their  two  hundred  women  and 
children  Lord  Roberts  paid  a  high  price,  losing  nearly  two 
thousand  men,  more  than  five  hundred  of  whom  were  buried 
at  Paardeburg  in  long,  broad  trenches  outlined  with  stones 
from  the  Spy  Kopje  above,  the  hill  from  which  Lords  Roberts 

12^ 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

and  Kitchener  watched  the  hell  of  shrapnel  and  lyddite  con- 
centrated over  the  Boer  laager,  and  from  the  base  of  which 
the  forgotten  Tommies,  in  their  shallow  graves,  will  continue 
to  guard  the  scene  of  England's  great  ''avenging"  of 
Majuba.  Six  guns  were  taken  in  a  more  or  less  dismantled 
condition — four  nine-pounders,  one  Vickers-Maxim  or 
**  pom-pom,"  and  one  ordinary  Maxim.  With  General 
Cronje  was  General  Wolmerans  and  Commandants  Al- 
brecht,  Russe,  Maartans,  Juste,  Woest  and  Kok.  Except- 
ing the  leaders,  the  prisoners  were  obviously  glad  to  be 
captured  as  a  release  from  the  terrors  of  the  laager. 

After  the  surrender.  Young  and  I  visited  the  scene ;  but 
we  did  not  remain  long,  for,  despite  the  freshet  which  had 
washed  most  of  the  carcasses  in  the  river-bed  down  the 
stream,  there  were  sufficient  scattered  about  on  the  level 
of  the  veldt  to  make  the  place  pestilential  with  foul  odors. 
We  could  not  cross  the  river,  so  we  satisfied  ourselves  with 
an  examination  of  that  portion  of  the  laager  extending 
along  the  south  side  of  the  river  and  what  we  could  see  by 
looking  across.  The  banks  of  the  stream  were  thirty  to  forty 
feet  high  where  the  water  had  cut  its  way  through  the  clay 
to  the  bed-rock  beneath.  On  the  south  bank  were  two  sets 
of  trenches,  one  on  the  veldt  level,  and  another  for  reserve 
use  on  the  steep  slope  of  the  river  bank.  They  were  from 
two  to  three  feet  broad,  eight  to  ten  feet  long,  and  five  or 
six  feet  deep,  generally  covered  with  tree-branches  as  sun- 
shades, and  were  broadened  out  on  each  side  at  the  bottom  ; 
these  were  the  bomb-proof  trenches,  and  the  low  number 
of  casualties  are  sufficient  certificates  of  their  effectiveness. 
On  the  opposite  bank  there  was  a  series  of  trenches  half- 
way down  to  the  water's  edge,  constructed  in  the  same 
manner.  Both  banks  were  covered  with  trees,  and  num- 
berless well-worn  paths  from  the  trenches  showed  that 
the  Boers  must  not  only  have  used  water  for  drinking,  but 

124 


CRONJE'S  LAAGER  AND  SURRENDER 


1^^ 


Cronje's  Laager  at  Paardeburg.      Sketched  by  the  author  after  the  surrender. 


fShelkr 


Sectional  View  of  Trenches  in  Cronje's  Laager  at  Paardeburg,  south  bank  of 
Modder  River.      Sketched  by  the  author  after  the  surrender. 


25 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

also  for  lavatory  purposes,  despite  all  British  assertions  to 
the  contrary. 

On  the  veldt  level  above  the  north  bank  was  another 
small  line  of  trenches,  behind  which  still  stood  about  a 
hundred  trek-carts,  mostly  shattered  by  the  shell-fire  from 
the  British  artillery.  A  brick  barn  with  one  end  blown 
out  by  lyddite  stood  at  the  right,  while  on  a  ridge  still 
farther  back  were  more  trenches.  The  Canadian  advance 
on  the  morning  of  the  surrender  was  to  flank  these  trenches, 
and  they  did  enfilade  them  terribly.  At  the  extreme  right 
of  the  laager  a  few  wagons  in  the  water  at  the  drift  showed 
the  attempt  to  cross  the  river  at  that  point.  Beyond,  in 
the  dim  distance,  the  inevitable  horizon  rim  of  irregular 
blue-brown  kopjes  framed  this  picture  of  desolation. 

I  walked  along  the  bank  and  picked  up  a  few  fragments 
of  Boer  shells  and  bullets,  and,  after  climbing  down  into 
several  of  the  trenches,  I  was  no  longer  surprised  at  the 
failure  of  the  terrific  bombardment  to  do  more  damage.  To 
any  one  lying  under  the  overhanging  sides  of  the  trenches 
the  heaviest  shells  exploding  overhead  were  harmless.  Even 
the  lyddite  failed  to  achieve  its  expected  slaughter  by  con- 
cussion, and  save  for  its  ability  to  set  fire  to  the  wagons, 
and  thus  destroy  supplies,  it  was  not  much  more  effective 
than  ordinary  shrapnel.  The  suffocating  effect  of  the  lyd- 
dite fumes  was  successfully  counteracted  by  drinking 
vinegar,  of  which  the  burghers  had  a  plentiful  supply. 

I  was  struck  by  the  sharp  contrast  presented  by  the 
abandoned  camps  of  the  two  opposing  armies.  The  track 
of  the  Imperial  force  was  marked  by  waste  and  extrava- 
gance. Empty  meat-  and  biscuit-tins  fairly  paved  the  veldt, 
while  on  every  side  the  half-consumed  remains  of  slaugh- 
tered cattle  were  to  be  seen.  In  the  enemy's  camps  evi- 
dences were  found  that  the  Boers  lived  largely  on  cereals, 
carried  in  sacks  ;  they  always  saved  the  hides  of  slaughtered 

126 


CRONJE'S  LAAGER  AND  SURRENDER 

animals,  and  during  their  leisure  hours  put  them  through 
some  process  of  preservation  for  future  use.  Of  course 
nothing  of  this  kind  was  done  at  Paardeburg.  Apropos 
of  the  nauseating  smells  of  the  laager  and  the  entire  Mod- 
der  River  trek,  I  have  noticed  that  the  more  highly  organ- 
ized the  carcass,  the  more  offensive  the  odor.  The  most 
numerous  bodies  were  those  of  bullocks,  which,  being 
grass-eaters,  were  not  as  offensive  as  those  of  the  grain- 
eating  horses.  Both  were  less  offensive  than  the  carcasses 
of  dogs  or  pigs.  But  a  thousand  times  worse  than  all  the 
others  combined  was  the  nauseating,  weakening,  nerve- 
destroying  effluvium  that  arose  from  the  three-foot-deep 
soil  loosely  covering  the  bodies  of  two  hundred  members 
of  the  Highland  Brigade  buried  in  the  trenches  around  Spy 
Kopje.  As  man  is  the  highest  development  of  the  animal 
kingdom  when  living,  so,  when  dead,  he  is  the  most  offen- 
sive combination  of  all  decaying  organisms.  While  I  was 
still  at  the  laager,  a  large  trench,  almost  a  cave,  was  found 
containing  the  dead  bodies  of  fifty  burghers.  The  workers 
were  unable  to  remove  them,  and  the  cave  was  filled  up, 
burying  them  all  en  masse.  It  is  needless  to  say  I  did  not 
inspect  the  cave. 

The  next  day  we  heard  of  the  relief  of  Lady  smith.  This, 
with  the  capture  of  Cronje's  army,  the  relief  of  Kimberley, 
and  the  evacuation  of  Stormberg  and  Colesberg  by  the 
Boers  in  less  than  two  weeks,  it  was  generally  thought,  by 
the  staff  of  correspondents  and  headquarters  attaches, 
would  so  depress  the  Boers  as  to  entirely  break  up  their 
very  loosely-organized  armies  and  end  the  war  within  a 
few  weeks. 

The  souvenirs  I  collected  during  this  visit  to  the  laager 
at  Paardeburg  I  placed  in  an  empty  shrapnel  shell,  which 
I  found  at  the  same  place.  I  found  a  cap  which  fitted  over 
the  shell,  and  the  whole  made  a  very  compact  and  neat 

127 


WITH  -  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

relic.  This,  together  with  a  box  of  the  Queen's  chocolates, 
some  Boer  Bibles,  and  a  number  of  other  relics,  I  put  in  a 
handsome  dress-suit  case,  which  I  left  at  the  railway 
station  at  Modder  River.  Afterward  I  moved  it  up  to 
Kimberley,  where  I  left  it  in  charge  of  the  manager  of  the 
Grand  Hotel. 

When  about  to  leave  South  Africa  I  had  not  time  to  go 
back  to  Kimberley  to  get  my  baggage,  and  so  telegraphed 
to  have  it  sent  to  me.  It  never  came.  Instead,  I  received 
a  telegram  saying,  **  It  cannot  be  found."  Additional  let- 
ters, telegrams,  and  services  of  Consuls  and  attorneys  have 
had  no  effect ;  my  valise  still  remains  at  Kimberley,  and 
with  it  the  choicest  of  my  souvenirs.  The  contents  are 
worth  possibly  ten  pounds.  1  have  spent  at  least  that  much 
in  the  effort  to  regain  it.  The  moral  of  this  is, — when 
travelling,  especially  in  war  time,  never  become  separated 
from  your  luggage. 


128 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

OSFONTEIN    AND    SOME    EXASPERATING    EXPERIENCES. 

THE  next  move  of  Lord  Roberts'  army  was  to  Osfon- 
tein,  and  Roberts  selected  as  headquarters  the  very 
farmhouse  at  which  I  had  been  entertained  eight  days  be- 
fore by  the  K.  O.  S.  B.  Regiment.  The  correspondents 
got  in  motion  a  Httle  later  than  headquarters,  and  it  was 
nearly  dark  before  the  first  of  us  drove  up  to  the  farm. 
Being  familiar  with  the  ground,  I  rode  rapidly  around,  and 
found  two  other  newspaper  outfits  already  camping  on  a 
beautiful  stretch  of  green  turf — ideal  golfing  ground — just 
in  rear  of  the  farmhouse.  I  had  **  The  Times"  cortege  of 
two  Cape-carts,  one  spring-wagon,  one  trek-cart,  six  oxen 
and  twelve  horses  draw  off  at  one  side,  and  while  the  Kaf- 
fir boys  were  getting  supper,  Mr.  Young  and  I,  under  the 
direction  of  Major  Pollock,  put  up  our  tent.  About  eight 
o'clock,  just  as  it  was  getting  dark,  a  very  new  Colonel  at- 
tached to  headquarters  rode  up  and  curtly  informed  us  that 
we  were  directly  behind  the  firing-line.  He  asked  us  who 
had  given  us  permission  to  camp  there,  .and  then  ordered 
the  entire  lot  of  us  off  to  another  spot.  Then  he  carefully 
selected  the  most  disagreeable  and  unreachable  place  he 
could  find,  moved  us  off  in  the  darkness  through  a  swamp, 
across  a  brook,  over  a  stone  wall  at  which  every  obsti- 
nate horse  balked,  forced  us  to  pull  down  oun  tents,  reload 
our  wagons,  leave  our  half-prepared  suppers,  and  utterly 
waste  about  three  hours  of  our  precious  time,  while  this 
would-be-important-ofificer  rode  furiously  around,  thunder- 
ing orders  and  playing  the  fool  generally.  It  was  an  expe- 
9  129 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

rience  not  calculated  to  put  the  staff  of  correspondents  in 
the  most  amiable  frame  of  mind.  When  we  finally  got 
down  to  coffee  and  cigarettes,  about  midnight,  this  officer 
was  carefully  discussed  and  his  future  was  prepared.  One 
old  war-horse,  who  in  twenty  years'  campaigning  had  never 
been  treated  so  harshly,  swore  he  would  have  the  Colonel's 


Mr.  Mackern,  an  ciULipn^mg  Aiinjiican  Photographer,  representing  "  Scrib- 
ner's  Magazine,"  finds  a  slight  elevation  better  suited  to  procure  the  best 
results  on  his  plates.  He  uses  a  stereoscopic  camera,  ta^<ing  two  pictures 
at  once. 

scalp,  sooner  or  later.  Others  suggested  milder  forms  of 
torture.  Each  determined  to  have  his  blood  some  time  ; 
I  am  at  it  now.  The  following  morning  we  were  delighted 
to  learn  that  he  had  got  a  roasting  from  **  Bobs  "  for  exceed- 
ing his  authority.  But  even  that  did  not  soften  our  wrath. 
We  all  vowed  to  carefully  remember  his  name, — no,  I  shall 
not  give  it  here  ;  our  object   in   remembering  it   is   that  it 

130 


OSFONTEIN  AND  SOME  EXPERIENCES 

shall  be  forgotten.  Neither  in  this  campaign  nor  in  any 
other  may  that  officer  ever  hope  to  have  his  name  men- 
tioned in  cable  or  letter  by  any  war  correspondent,  how- 
ever meritorious  the  services  he  may  render  his  country, 
for  the  correspondents  all  stand  together,  and  in  secret  his 
name  will  go  down  to  successive  generations  of  pencil- 
pushers  as  the  never-to-be-mentioned-man  who  in  so  un- 
heard of  a  manner  outraged  the  dignity  and  for  a  whole 
night  made  superlatively  uncomfortable  the  entire  staff  of 
correspondents  attached  to  Lord  Roberts'  headquarters. 
The  man's  career,  so  far  as  newspapers  count  in  such 
things,  is  undoubtedly  finished.  The  firing-line  he  pointed 
out  was  about  fifty  yards  from  Lord  Roberts'  dinner-table 
that  evening — a  statement  sufficient  to  show  what  an  ass 
the  Colonel  was.  The  next  morning  he  came  around  among 
our  carts  to  make  his  peace  with  us,  evidently  realizing  the 
enormity  of  his  mistake.  He  was  received  with  silence,  and 
the  general  frigidity  of  the  atmosphere  caused  him  to  leave 
quickly.  It  was  then  that  I  learned  what  '*  a  fatuous  ass  " 
was.     That's  what  I  heard  Landon  call  him. 

During  our  midnight  dinner,  while  half  a  dozen  other 
correspondents  were  sitting  around  ''The  Times"  table,  I 
heard  one  of  them  say,  ''  I  heard  that  Captain  Montmo- 
rency was  killed  the  other  day  at  Stormberg."  I  then 
told  them  of  my  experience  as  one  of  his  scouts,  and 
added,  by  way  of  conclusion,  that  he  was  the  first  personal 
friend  I  had  lost  in  this  war. 

This  was  so  unusual  a  statement  for  a  correspondent  to 
make  that  it  drew  forth  general  comment,  for  all  of  the 
others  had  lost  many  of  their  dearest  friends.  Happily 
for  me,  in  addition  to  not  having  any  direct  national  in- 
terest in  the  war,  so  far  I  had  been  spared  a  share  of  the 
personal  sorrows  also.  The  next  week  was  to  change  all 
this  for  me  in  a  peculiarly  exceptional  manner. 

131 


WITH  ^^BOBS"  AND  KROGER 

From  Osfontein  I  made  my  last  ride  to  Modder  River 
with  despatches.  The  distance  was  now  forty -two  miles — 
iquite  a  task  for  one  horse,  when  returning  on  the  same 
animal  was  imperative.  According  to  the  importance  of 
my  messages  I  always  took  the  best  horse  in  the  lot,  or 
held  it  in  reserve  for  a  more  important  occasion.  Starting 
late  in  the  afternoon,  in  company  with  Colonel  Walker,  of 
Lord  Roberts'  staff,  who  rode  with  me  to  Paardeburg  Drift, 
I  pushed  on  to  Klip  Kraal,  where  I  was  to  deliver  a  note 
from  the  Field  Marshal  to  Colonel  Paget,  in  command  of  a 


Transport  cart  stuck  in  mud  at  a  "drift"  or  ford,  a  familiar  scene  during  the 
march.  Two  bullocks  have  been  left  to  draw  the  empty  cart  along  after 
it  has  been  unloaded.  The  other  bullocks  have  been  distributed  among 
other  carts  to  take  the  place  of  used-up  animals,  scores  of  which  dropped 
dead  every  day. 

few  regiments  posted  there,  and  guarding  the  line  of  com- 
munications. I  was  always  especially  glad  to  carry  these 
official  messages  because  they  empowered  me  to  exact  en- 
tertainment for  myself  and  horse,  so  I  was  able  to  travel 
with  nothing  but  a  mackintosh  and  my  saddle.  I  had  not 
even  a  water  canteen  or  supply  of  emergency  rations  in 
my  saddle-wallets,  for  these  were  usually  stuffed  with  letters 
from  the  dozens  of  friends  I  had  made,  generally  including 
a  thick  packet  from  Lord  Stanley  for  headquarters.  Stanley 
I  had  found  to  be  a  conscientious   hard  worker,  holding  a 

132 


OSFONTEIN  AND  SOME  EXPERIENCES 

most  difificult  position,  for  the  Press  Censor  was  constantly 
confronted  with  a  thousand  difficulties  and  misunderstand- 
ings which  his  very  energetic  and  professionally  jealous 
staff  of  war  correspondents  had  thrust  upon  him.  The 
situation  was  one  that  required  the  greatest  tact  and 
diplomacy,  and  really  a  better  man  than  Lord  Stanley  to 
fill  the  position  could  not  have  been  found.  It  was  a  thanks- 
less  job,  for  in  spite  of  the  best  intentions  to  deal  justice 
all  around.  Lord  Stanley  was  forced  under  the  pressure  of 
necessity  to  offend  at  one  time  or  other  almost  every  one 
of  the  newspaper  men,  and  I  was  not  surprised  to  hear  in 
London  that  with  the  press  he  was  the  most  unpopular 
man  in  South  Africa.  That  this  should  be  was  inevitable ; 
but  let  me  add  my  humble  testimony  that  from  personal 
contact  with  the  gentleman  for  some  months  I  am  certain 
that  his  loss  of  newspaper  favor  was  altogether  a  result  of 
his  position,  and  not  in  the  least  of  his  personality.  All 
correspondents  who  were  under  his  control  received  favors 
or*  courtesies  at  some  time  or  other  that  made  personal 
attacks  upon  him  by  any  of  them  decidedly  bad  taste. 

But  back  to  my  ride.  Colonel  Paget  and  his  officers 
contributed  more  letters  to  my  wallets  and  the  usual  dose 
of  whiskey  and  soda  to  my  body.  The  soda-generating 
sparklet-bottle  had  penetrated  into  every  mess  outfit  on 
the  veldt,  and  of  course  where  bread  and  meat  was  found, 
near  by  was  always  to  be  found  a  few  bottles  of  Canadian 
Club  or  Scotch  whiskey.  Before  reaching  Colonel  Paget's 
command  I  caught  up  with  the  Hon.  Robert  Beresford,  of  the 
**  Central  News."  He  said  he  was  not  carrying  despatches, 
— an  unlikely  thing  for  a  correspondent  travelling  westward. 
He  borrowed  my  whip,  with  which  to  pound  his  horse  into 
shape  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  with  an  enterprise  char- 
acteristic of  American  journalism  galloped  on  ahead  of 
me,  and  that  was  the  last  I  saw  of  my  whip  until  a  week 

133 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

later,  after  Bloemfontein  was  taken.  Luckily  my  despatches 
were  not  sufficiently  important  to  make  another  man's  get- 
ting to  the  wire  a  few  hours  ahead  of  me  of  much  moment. 
But  it  was  a  lesson,  and  after  that  I  took  care  not  to  lend 
either  horse,  whip  or  spurs,  or  even  information  regarding 
routes,  to  anyone  who  might  possibly  prove  to  be  a  rival 
rider  in  disguise. 

Leaving  Klip  Kraal,  another  eight  miles  brought  me  in 
the  darkness  and  rain  to  Klip  Drift,  where  I  gathered  up  a 
new  batch  of  letters  from  the  officers  and  men  of  the  High- 
land Light  Lifantry  posted  there,  took  a  hastily-prepared 
midnight  luncheon  with  the  gentlemen  in  a  rough  shel- 
ter composed  of  blankets  stretched  over  small  peach  trees, 
and  then,  after  the  Colonel  went  to  sleep  on  the  table,  I 
napped  until  3  A.  M.  in  his  arm-chair,  commandeered  from 
a  neighboring  farmhouse.  When  the  sergeant  who  had 
taken  care  of  my  horse  woke  me  it  had  stopped  raining, 
and  I  galloped  off  in  the  darkness  toward  Modder.  Break- 
fast-time brought  me  to  the  De  Villiers  farm,  ten  miles  out. 
Here  I  ordered  supper  and  engaged  bedroom  accommoda- 
tions. I  reached  Modder  Station  in  time  to  get  the  letters 
off  on  the  last  weekly  mail  train  and  filed  my  cable  de- 
spatches in  time  for  the  evening  editions. 

Then  I  looked  about  for  Beresford  and  my  whip,  but  they 
were  not  to  be  found.  I  decided  to  rest  myself  and  horse 
until  toward  evening,  to  escape  the  heat  of  midday.  Sud- 
denly I  met  one  of  '*  The  Times'"  servants.  He  had 
driven  in  the  day  before,  and  had  killed  one  of  our  horses 
in  so  doing.  After  a  few  hours  I  gave  up  the  attempt  to 
buy  a  new  horse,  and  decided  to  give  him  mine  to  help 
drive  back  the  cart  with  supplies,  though  this  would  make 
me  a  day  late  in  returning.  To  do  this  and  yet  return  at 
once  myself  placed  me  in  a  dilemma  from  which  a  little 
enterprise,   assisted  by  good  luck,   freed  me.      I  had  no- 

134 


OSFONTEIN  AND  SOME  EXPERIENCES 

ticed  a  distinguished-looking  gentleman  in  semi-civilian 
attire  unloading  a  Cape-cart  and  three  horses  from  a  rail- 
way truck.  Assuming  that  he  was  a  correspondent,  I  en- 
tered into  conversation  with  him  ;  he  proved  to  be  Mr. 
Alfred  Hutton,  the  Renter's  correspondent,  who  had  made 
a  sensational  escape  from  Ladysmith.  He  had  just  come 
around  from  Natal,  and  was  anxious  to  reach  headquarters 
at  Osfontein,  and  readily  agreed  to  take  me  along  for  a 
guide,  while  "  The  Times"  cart  used  my  own  horse  to  follow 
the  next  day  more  leisurely. 


The  Foreign  Military  Attaches  on  the  March.  Representatives  of  all  the 
Friendly  Powers  are  entertained  as  attaches  to  the  Field  Marshal's  Staflf 
during  the  Military  Operations.  Captain  Slocum,  of  the  United  States 
Army,  rides  the  white  horse  at  the  extreme  left. 

But  Hutton  and  I  fathomed  the  lowermost  depths  of 
exasperation  before  reaching  headquarters  two  days  later. 
He  had  bought  a  new  outfit  at  Cape  Town,  and  had  had  a 
balky  horse  unloaded  on  him  by  a  rascally  dealer.  After 
two  hours'  effort,  aided  by  half  a  dozen  obliging  Tommies 
and  several  non-combatant  Free  State  Boers,  we  got  the 
brute  started.  Hutton  rode  a  few  yards  ahead,  while  I 
drove  and  the  servant  wielded  the  heavy  sjambok  or  rhi- 
noceros-hide whip.  The  purpose  was  to  keep  the  horse 
going  without  a  moment's   stop,  and   alternately  galloping 

135 


WITH  *'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

and  trotting  we  succeeded  for  nine  miles.  Then,  as  we 
were  looking  for  De  Villiers'  farm,  the  abrupt  night  fell 
upon  us  and  left  us  lost  on  the  veldt.  Following  the 
direction  of  a  fire  in  the  distance,  we  came  to  a  convoy  by 
the  river,  a  mile  or  more  from  the  farm.  The  officer  in 
charge  of  the  convoy  was  Colonel  Umphelby,  of  the  Royal 
Australian  Artillery,  and  on  his  invitation  we  decided  to 
camp  for  the  night  with  him.  This  was  the  same  officer 
who  a  week  before,  at  my  suggestion,  had  broken  a  new 
road  across  the  virgin  veldt,  and,  strangely  enough,  I  had 
overtaken  him  while  on  the  same  road.  With  him  was 
Lieutenant  Waite,  one  of  the  few  ''  Rankers,"  or  officers 
promoted  from  the  ranks,  I  met  in  the  army.  Lieutenant 
Keswick,  of  the  I2th  Lancers,  was  also  travelling  in  com- 
pany with  the  convoy  to  headquarters.  Lieutenant  Hil- 
liard,  Aide-de-Camp  to  Governor  Milner  of  Cape  Colony, 
was  a  young  diplomatic  attache  on  his  way  to  headquarters, 
presumably  with  official  documents.  Hutton  and  I  made 
up  the  remainder  of  this  little  midnight  supper  party,  the 
third  in  succession  that  I  had  had.  Colonel  Umphelby 
roused  us  all  at  daybreak,  and  while  the  convoy  was  get- 
ting in  motion  I  rode  on  to  the  De  Villiers  farm  to  order  the 
supper  to  be  recooked  that  I  had  missed  the  night  before,  with 
suitable  additions  for  the  entire  party.  Hutton  succeeded 
in  getting  the  balky  horse  that  far,  and  soon  afterward  the 
rest  came  up  also.  Colonel  Umphelby  had  only  time  for 
a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  few  eggs,  but  the  rest  of  the  party 
stayed  for  several  hours,  revelling  in  the  quantities  of  fresh 
milk  and  tender  young  chickens  which  Madam  De  Villiers 
had  prepared  for  us.  The  exquisite  Hilliard,  anxious  to 
show  all  possible  kindness  and  freedom  from  personal  aver- 
sion to  his  hospitable  enemies,  lifted  the  little  three-year- 
old  child,  placed  her  on  his  knee,  and  inquired  the  cause 
of  her  incessant  crying. 

136 


OSFONTEIN  AND  SOME  EXPERIENCES 

"  Oh,  it's  nothing,"  said  the  old  lady  ;  ''  the  doctor  said 
she  has  the  chicken-pox  ;  but,"  she  added,  as  Milliard  put 
the  child  on  the  floor  quickly,  yet  with  a  grave  diplomatic 
diginity,  "  you  needn't  be  afraid — it's  not  catching."  Never- 
theless the  Lieutenant  did  not  take  up  the  youngster  again, 
but  addressed  his  courtesies   to  the  other  members  of  the 


Lieutenant- Colonel  Umphelby,  Royal  Australian  Artillery,  killed  at  Driefontein. 


family  during  the  rest  of  our  stay.  The  meal  was  well 
worth  the  one  pound  in  English  gold  I  paid  Madame  on 
leaving  ;  and,  rightly  thinking  that  it  was  worth  my  while  to 
have  these  gentlemen  as  my  guests  on  this  occasion,  I  in- 
sisted on  their  not  contributing  a  shilling  toward  the  bill. 

Just  before  we  left  I  spoke  of  Montmorency's  death  and 
my  freedom  from  other  losses  of  friends.      Lieutenant  Kes- 

137 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

wick  remarked  that  any  of  us  might  go  next ;  and,  half  in 
earnest  and  half  in  jest,  we  agreed,  in  case  of  accident,  to 
meet  again  in  spirit  on  some  future  occasion.  A  few  weeks 
later  I  entertained  Lieutenant  Waite  at  dinner,  again,  at 
Kimberley.  Lieutenant  Hilliard  gave  me  a  champagne 
dinner  at  the  Mount  Nelson  in  Cape  Town,  and  just  before 
my  return  to  America  Hutton  was  my  guest  for  another 
meal  in  London  ;  but  within  the  week  Lieutenant  Keswick 
was  killed  at  Poplar  Grove,  and  a  shrapnel  shell  tore  away 
part  of  Colonel  Umphelby's  head  at  Driefontein. 

The  party  broke  up  after  breakfast  ended,  and  Hutton 
and  I  pushed  on  ahead  of  the  convoy.  Once  more  the 
balky  horse  halted  in  a  bed  of  wet  sand,  and  it  was  four 
hours  before  he  started  again.  We  were  thirty-six  hours 
going  the  forty-two  miles  to  headquarters.  All  through  a 
long,  wet  and  sultry  day  Hutton  and  I  and  his  servant 
struggled  with  the  three  horses.  Recent  rains  had  made 
the  roads  almost  impassable.  The  two  decent  horses  were 
thoroughly  ''bedeviled"  by  the  balky  single  brute;  under 
the  saddle  he  threw  all  three  of  us  separately  over  his  head. 
When  changed  to  the  cart  again  he  spilled  Hutton  and  me 
collectively  into  the  mud.  We  did  not  swear  ;  the  case 
was  too  awful  for  mere  profanity.  But  enough  of  that 
dreary,  damp,  perspiring  and  exasperating  day.  After  ex- 
hausting every  conceivable  way  of  starting  the  horse,  we 
all  three  rode  inside  of  the  cart  and  tied  the  brute  behind, 
where  he  followed  quietly,  having  got  what  he  had  been 
working  for. 

Arriving  at  Paardeburg,  a  terrific  storm  overtook  us,  and 
we  took  refuge  in  the  deserted  commissariat  building,  a 
looted  farmhouse  by  the  drift.  Here  we  stabled  our  horses 
in  the  parlor,  slept  and  ate  in  the  general  living-room, 
while  an  abandoned  artillery  horse  quietly  died  in  the 
kitchen,  his  galled  and  famished  mate  standing,  watery -eyed 

138 


OSFONTEIN  AND  SOME  EXPERIENCES 

and  neighing,  just  outside,  while  the  Hghtning-flashes 
startled  the  intense  darkness  into  ''  biograph  "  pictures  of 
the  veldt  under  a  storm,  the  silver  rain -drops  appearing  to 
be  permanently  attached  to  their  positions  in  the  air.  After 
burning  several  doors  and  window-frames  to  cook  our  sup- 
per, we  slept  on  the  floor,  lying  in  serpent-like  curves  to 
avoid  the  dripping  streams  of  water  from  the  leaky  cor- 
rugated roof  overhead  ;  and  Hutton  told  me  tales  of  the 
siege  of  Ladysmith  and  of  his  escape  through  rain  and 
swollen  rivers,  of  being  nearly  drowned  in  the  Tugela, 
skirting  Boer  laagers  in  the  night,  hiding  in  friendly  Kaffir 
kraals  by  day  while  his  pursuers  scouted  the  surrounding 
hills  for  him,  being  plainly  in  his  sight  through  a  crack  in 
the  reed  walls  of  the  hut ; — how  three  Boers  rode  up  to 
this  very  hut  and  demanded  milk  from  the  owners,  drink- 
ing it  while  he  lay  under  a  pile  of  clothing  inside  ;  after- 
ward traversing  snake-infested  jungles,  narrowly  escaping 
being  shot  by  both  Boer  and  British  sentinels,  and  so  on, 
until  I  fell  asleep,  as  pleased  as  though  twelve  years  old 
again,  with  Robinson  Crusoe  and  a  forbidden  dark  lantern 
for  bed-companions. 

Among  other  tales,  Hutton  told  me  how  he  had  written 
a  long  cable  message  and  entrusted  it,  with  his  last  and 
best  horse,  to  a  Kaffir,  whom  he  sent  out  into  the  night  to 
find  a  way  through  the  Boer  lines  to  the  British  camp  and 
the  telegraph-office  beyond.  After  his  escape  he  learned 
that  the  Kaffir  had  never  reached  his  destination.  His 
fate — whether  he  was  killed  or  captured — was  unknown. 
Hutton  supposed  the  Kaffir  was  safe,  but  was  not  in- 
clined to  be  reconciled  to  the  loss  of  the  horse,  which, 
as  he  said,  *'  Was  a  valuable  animal,  brought  out  from 
England." 

Months  afterward,  while  dining  Hutton,  I  was  able  to 
tell  him  a  remarkable  tale  of  how  I    had  discovered  the 

139 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

sequel  of  his  story.      Truly,  the  world  of  men   and  things 
is,  after  all,  very  small. 

When  we  left  the  deserted  house  at  Paardeburg  Drift  at 
sunrise  the  horse  inside  was  dead.  Its  companion  was  still 
quietly  grazing  outside.  At  any  place  between  there  and 
Modder  a  dozen  abandoned  horses  or  mules  were  seen, 
having  been  cast  off  by  their  owners  or  escaped.  The 
veldt  is  very  niggardly  of  food  supplies,  and  after  a  few  days 
these  brutes  became  hopelessly  run  down  and  not  worth 
the  trouble  of  commandeering.  Native  horses,  however, 
have  the  faculty  of  living  off  the  veldt,  and,  when  possible, 
I  always  made  it  the  rule  to  ride  one.  The  saddle-galls, 
caused  by  overloading  the  British  horses,  were  the  most 
frightful  sores  I  have  ever  seen.  Extending  for  six  to  ten 
inches  along  the  backbone,  the  excreta  of  the  soreness 
oozed  out,  creeping  up  toward  the  neck  and  down  toward 
the  tail,  running  down  the  sides,  and  forming  an  immense 
V-shaped  scab  on  each  side,  until  the  mere  sight  of  one  of 
these  poor  creatures  from  a  distance  was  as  sickening  as  a 
visit  to  the  laager.  Hutton  and  I  intended  to  re-examine 
Cronje's  last  stronghold,  but  the  place  had  become  too 
pestilential,  so  we  hurried  on  to  Osfontein,  arriving  there 
in  time  for  breakfast  on  the  third  day  after  starting  from 
Modder.  The  supply-cart  came  in  the  next  day  with  two 
more  horses  used  up.  Two  of  our  servants  had  deserted, 
leaving  us  only  four  ;  a  number  of  our  horses  were  sick, 
and  we  had  difficulty  in  finding  enough  to  ride  without 
holding  a  few  in  reserve,  as  was  our  custom,  for  despatch- 
riding. 


140 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE   TURNING   POINT   OF   THE  WAR THE    BATTLE    OF    POPLAR 

GROVE. 

THE  entire  army  had  taken  up  new  positions,  with  Os- 
fontein  as  a  centre.  The  Boer  laager  was  about  six 
miles  eastward,  the  entrenchments  extending  over  fourteen 
miles  in  front  of  the  Imperial  army.  The  official  estimate 
of  their  strength  was  twelve  thousand.  The  correspond- 
ents more  conservatively  figured  that  there  were  seven 
thousand.  All  agreed  that  about  thirty  thousand  Boers 
were  concentrating  at  this  point,  having  been  drawn  there 
from  Ladysmith  and  other  districts  under  General  Joubert. 
A  big  battle  was  imminent,  and  it  was  expected  to  be  the 
final  battle  of  the  war.  All  the  British  hoped  the  Boers 
would  make  a  decided  stand,  not  doubting  that  a  crushing 
defeat  would  be  administered  that  would  completely  break 
the  backbone  of  all  further  opposition.  The  correspond- 
ents made  elaborate  preparations  to  cover  the  battle.  For 
days  they  had  been  working  in  conjunction  with  the  intel- 
ligence department  in  securing  details  for  the  production 
of  a  perfect  map,  which  was  afterward  pronounced  to  be 
the  most  complete  plan  of  the  positions  in  existence.  I 
found  time  and  opportunity  to  make  two  copies  of  this. 

The  correspondents'  camp  had  been  moved  from  the 
dismal  swamp  in  which  the  officious  Colonel  with  the  un- 
mentionable name  had  placed  us,  and  now  we  were  delight- 
fully camped  on  a  clean  stretch  of  turf  Our  nearest 
neighbors  were  Messrs.  Gwynne  and  Hutton,  representing 
Renter's  agency ;  a  little  farther  on  was  Battersby,  of  the 
"  Morning  Post ;"   beyond  was  Villiers,  of  the  *'  Illustrated 

141 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

News  ;"  and  still  farther  was  Julian  Ralph.  Only  a  few 
more  were  scattered  about,  for  the  latest  order  from  head- 
quarters, compelling  us  to  bring  up  all  our  supplies  from 
Modder  Station  and  refusing  to  issue  us  other  rations  than 
fresh  meat,  had  made  the  expense  of  keeping  up  with  the 
army  enormous,  and  many  had  dropped  out  of  line,  wait- 
ing to  catch  up  again  when  Bloemfontein  should  be  taken. 
We  were  all  grouped  within  the  Osfontein  Kraal,  a  large 
enclosure  for  cattle,  hedged  about  by  an  impenetrable  bar- 
rier of  enormous  aloes  century  plants.  A  week  before, 
when  I  had  first  visited  this  place  as  a  guest  of  the  Scot- 
tish Borderers,  the  hedge  was  surmounted  by  thousands 
of  tall,  stately  blossom-stalks  bearing  the  century  flower, 
twenty  feet  or  more  above  the  ground.  Unfortunately  for 
the  beauty  of  this  hedge,  and  fortunately  for  the  camp 
clicfs,  these  stalks  made  excellent  fuel  ;  so  now  only  their 
unsightly  stumps  and  the  countless  sharp-pointed  leaves 
remained,  forming  as  impassable  an  abattis  as  any  which 
ancient  or  modern  military  ingenuity  could  construct.  With 
our  tent  erected,  and  a  wide  spread  of  canvas  between  two 
wagons  to  keep  off  the  sun,  we  were  once  more  comfort- 
ably housed!  Lord  Roberts  and  his  Chief  of  Staff,  Lord 
Kitchener,  had  gone  to  Kimberley  for  a  few  days.  Mean- 
while, preparations  for  the  great  battle  went  on,  and  I 
had  two  days'  rest  in  camp,  with  an  opportunity  to  write 
letters  and  take  care  of  my  colony  of  hens,  having  brought 
four  more  along  in  Hutton's  cart  from  the  De  Villiers  farm. 
We  ate  one  that  had  a  broken  leg,  but  kept  the  rest  for 
the  Press  Censor  and  "  Bobs." 

Early  on  the  morning  of  March  7th  the  general  attack 
on  the  Boer  positions  took  place.  During  the  night  Gen- 
eral French's  cavalry  brigade  had  moved  from  its  position 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  at  Koodoosrand,  behind  the 
rear  of  Lord  Roberts'   headquarters  at  Osfontein,  to  make 

142 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 

the  attack  from  the  right  instead  of  the  left  flank,  where 
naturally  the  enemy  would  expect  this  movement. 

At  sunrise,  after  a  bombardment  of  the  seven  kopjes  by 
the  naval  guns,  the  Sixth  Division,  General  Kelly-Kenny's, 
drove  the  enemy  from  their  position.  They  fled  north- 
ward along  the  line  of  their  entrenchments,  circling  around 


General  Kelly-Kenny,  of  the  Sixth  Division,  and  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  at 
the  headquarters  of  the  former  in  Bloemfontein.  The  photograph  was 
taken  about  three  weeks  after  the  Battle  of  Poplar  Grove. 

Reed's  farm  and  then  going  due  east  along  the  line  of 
kopjes,  where  there  were  numerous  smaller  laagers.  Be- 
yond the  pointed  kopje  they  crossed  an  open  plain  for  three 
miles,  fighting  a  rear-guard  action  with  small  artillery  and 
one  big  gun.  A  halt  was  made  at  the  big  kopje  near  the 
river,  where  a  large  dam  furnished  breastworks  behind 
which  a  decisive  stand  was  made  for  several  hours,  success- 
es 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

fully  preventing  several  flank  movements  of  the  Imperial 
cavalry  by  shelling  and  once  driving  back  in  complete  rout 
a  regiment  of  mounted  infantry  from  Tucker's  division 
which  had  attempted  a  charge.  This  was  probably  one  of 
the  last  charges  in  history  by  cavalry  or  mounted  troops 
against  modern  weapons  in  the  hands  of  white  soldiers  in  a 
fortified  position. 

General  Colville  with  the  Ninth  Division  was  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  river,  creeping  slowly  up  on  the  Boer 
entrenchments  on  that  side,  while  General  Tucker's  Seventh 
Division,  assisted  by  the  big  yellow  military  balloon,  was 
on  the  south  bank.  A  few  of  the  mounted  infantry  were 
killed,  and  General  French  also  lost  a  few  men.  The 
casualties  were  very  kw  and  of  no  consequence  in  compari- 
son with  the  slaughter  the  Boers  could  have  inflicted  had  they 
remained  in  their  trenches.  It  was  General  French's  great 
flanking  movement  which  filled  them  with  fear  of  another 
Paardeburg,  for  during  the  advance  the  great  mass  of  the 
entire  Imperial  army  was  in  plain  sight  on  the  veldt  before 
the  Boer  position,  and  their  swarming  numbers  seemed 
much  greater  than  they  really  were. 

Toward  sundown  the  British  scouts  succeeded  in  reach- 
mg  the  last  position  of  Boer  defence  only  to  find  the 
enemy  well  beyond  reach,  and  darkness  put  an  end  to 
the  battle  and  pursuit.  The  real  purpose  of  the  advance 
failed  completely.  General  French  found  his  horses  too 
exhausted  to  complete  his  attempt  to  get  behind  the  Boer 
position  before  daybreak ;  when  he  again  started  next 
morning  he  was  halted  in  mid-veldt  by  a  small  detachment 
of  Boers,  who  successfully  prevented  his  farther  advance 
all  day. 

Generals  Roberts  and  Kitchener  were  quartered  during  the 
action  at  a  farm  about  two  miles  east  of  Osfontein,  and  were 
in  telegraphic  and  heliographic  communication  with  the  dif- 

144 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 


Plan  of  Boer  Positions  and  English  Attack  at  Poplar  Grove.  Copied  by  author 
from  map  prepared  by  war  correspondents  of  "  The  Times ' '  before  the 
battle,  and  nearly  destroyed  by  water  during  his  mishap  while  crossing 
the  Modder  River  during  the  fighting. 


145 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

ferent  commands  throughout  the  battle.  At  night  head- 
quarters moved  on  to  Poplar  Grove  farm,  between  Pointed 
Kopje  and  the  river,  twelve  miles  from  Osfontein.  Presi- 
dents Steyn  and  Kriiger  had  been  there  earlier  in  the  day, 
and  had  French  carried  out  his  orders,  both  of  them  would 
have  been  captured.  Colonel  Gourko  and  Lieutenant 
Thompson — Russian  and  Hollander — military  attaches  with 
the  Boers,  were  captured  here  when  the  British  advanced, 
having  chosen  to  remain  with  their  broken  cart  to  avoid 
losing  their  personal  effects.  The  Boers  fled  east  and 
northeast  across  the  river  in  wild  confusion  ;  and,  had  the 


Pursuing  the  Enemy  at  Poplar  Grove.    The  artillery  advancing  to  take  up  new 
positions.     The  cavahy  and  mounted  infantry  in  the  background. 

British  been  able  to  follow,  they  might  have  crossed  the 
Vaal  River  into  Transvaal  territory  six  weeks  earlier  than 
they  did,  and  thus  have  prevented  the  destruction  of  several 
hundred  miles  of  railway  between  Bloemfontein  and  the 
bouridary. 

After  spending  the  night  in  writing  letters  and  preparing 
despatches  I  started  the  following  morning  for  Kimberley, 
forty-five  miles  away.  During  this  battle  of  Poplar  Grove, 
or  rout,  as  it  proved  to  be,  and  which  greater  homogeneity 
among  the  Boers  could  have  turned  into  a  terrible  defeat 
for  the  British,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  get  to  almost  every 
point  of  interest  at  the  right  time  during  the  day,  although 

146 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 

the  action  was  spread  over  twenty  miles  of  country,  the 
British  advancing  fifteen  miles  eastward. 

By  Landon's  orders,  given  to  our  servants  the  night  be- 
fore, we  were  roused  at  3  o'clock  in  the  morning.  While 
we  drank  our  coffee  and  put  a  few  biscuits  and  tins  of  meat 
in  our  wallets,  we  could  hear  the  dull  murmur  of  the 
Cavalry  Brigade  passing  by  our  rear  on  its  way  to  the  right 
flank,  the  creaking  of  harness-chains  and  artillery-wheels, 
occasional  subdued  cries  of  native  drivers,  neighing  horses 
or  low  commands  mingling  in  a  low,  hoarse  roar,  like  a 
strong,  steady  wind  through  high  trees  at  night. 

At  4  A.M.  Major  Pollock  and  I  rode  northward  from 
Osfontein,  crossing  the  drift  at  Koodoosrand  on  a  pontoon 
bridge  at  daybreak.  Several  miles  farther  travel  brought 
us  to  General  French's  old  headquarters,  and  shortly 
afterward  we  reached  General  Colville's  headquarters. 
There  had  been  considerable  mystery  regarding  the  plans, 
as  only  '*  Bobs  "  knew  what  the  tactics  of  the  day  were 
to  be. 

Nevertheless,  we  learned  that  Colville's  division  was  to 
take  a  passive  part,  more  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  re- 
treating westward  on  the  north  bank  than  to  do  any  fight- 
ing. Major  Pollock,  by  agreement,  was  to  cover  this  end 
of  the  battle  for  *'  The  Times  "  during  the  remainder  of  the 
day,  while  I  was  to  ride  along  the  entire  advance-line  back 
to  the  right  flank,  there  to  meet  Landon,  who  had  gone  on 
with  General  French. 

Leaving  the  Major,  I  rode  on  to  Makouw's  Drift,  so 
named  for  the  last  great  native  chief  who  opposed  the  ad- 
vance of  the  early  Boer  trekers.  I  was  hesitating  to  ford 
the  river,  which  was  greatly  swollen  from  the  recent  rains, 
when  a  cavalryman  rode  up  and  undertook  to  show  me 
the  way,  assuring  me  that  it  was  perfectly  safe.  When 
half-way  across,  our  horses  lost  their  footing.      His  horse, 

147 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

being  the  larger,  regained  his  footing  immediately,  but  my 
little  pony  was  carried  downstream.  Fifty  yards  below, 
the  high  banks  of  the  river  closed  in  perpendicularly;  here 
there  were  dangerous  rapids,  and  had  I  been  caught  in  them 
my  landing  would  have  been  impossible.  The  gallant  little 
beast  made  a  brave  fight  for  the  shore,  reaching  it  just  in 
time,  though  even  then  he  had  to  wade  back  upstream  thirty 
yards  to  the  drift  before  he  was  able  to  leave  the  water. 
My  letters  and  papers,  including  the  map  of  the  Boer  po- 
sitions, were  thoroughly  soaked,  and  I  was  compelled  to 
halt  on  the  bank  and  lose  more  than  an  hour  while  drying 
them  in  the  sun.  While  doing  so,  I  watched  the  opera- 
tions of  General  Tucker's  military  balloon  near  by,  saw  it 
slowly  ascend  a  thousand  feet  or  more,  held  captive  by  a 
cable  from  a  windlass  on  the  balloon-cart,  saw  the  messen- 
gers run  to  pick  up  the  weighted  envelopes  containing  in- 
formation, dropped  from  the  balloon  above,  and  then  gallop 
off  to  headquarters  with  them. 

From  Makouw's  Drift,  after  drying  my  papers,  though  I 
was  still  soaked  to  the  skin,  I  rode  westward  to  a  low 
kopje  where  a  company  of  the  Hampshires  had  a  little 
Maxim  gun.  This  was  on  the  firing-line,  although  no  ac- 
tion had  yet  taken  place. 

Heavy  firing  having  continued  for  some  time  to  the 
southward,  I  pushed  on.  Then  I  rode  across  the  Dry  Pan  to 
Banks'  farm,  where  I  reached  the  summit  of  the  low  ridge 
just  in  time  to  see  several  hundred  Boers  galloping  away  in 
retreat  from  the  Seven  Sisters  Kopjes,  two  miles  distant,  from 
which  they  had  been  dislodged  by  the  fire  of  the  lyddite  guns 
and  General  Kelly-Kenny's  advance.  A  few  of  the  Lancers 
and  Mounted  Infantry  were  stationed  here  with  a  battery 
of  two  guns  ;  these  advanced  soon  afterward  toward  the 
deserted  line  of  trenches.  I  rode  with  them  until,  seeing 
the  whole  of  Kelly-Kenny's  division   coming  on  from  the 

148 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 

right  at  a  gallop,  I  turned  to  the  left  and  climbed  a  kopje 
in  order  to  get  a  better  view. 

Here  I  could  also  see  part  of  Tucker's  command  in  mo- 
tion. The  Boers  had  started  to  retreat  along  the  line  of 
their  entrenchments,  and  two  divisions  of  the  Imperial 
army — horse,  foot  and  artillery — were  in  pursuit.  On  they 
dashed  at  full  speed,  the  infantry  in  long  parallel  lines  of 
khaki  streaming  behind,  clear  and  distinct,  for  several  miles, 
the  marvellously  transparent  atmosphere  and  bright  sun- 
light making  them  as  visible  as  though  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  distant.     The  cavalry  formation  was  less  regular  in 


Artillery  in  Action,      Sighting  the  15-pound  guns. 

appearance,  and  the  Colonial  troops  were  especially  dis- 
tinguished by  their  whoops  and  hurrahs,  interspersed  with 
officers'  shouted  orders.  It  was  little  wonder  that  the 
Boers  fled,  for  there  were  fully  twenty  thousand  men  in 
plain  sight  crossing  this  three-mile  stretch  of  billiard-table 
veldt  as  fast  as  men  and  horses  could  go.  The  regulars 
advanced  with  a  parade-like  dignity  quite  Quaker-like  in 
comparison  with  the  Irregular  Colonial  forces. 

In  advance  of  the  main  body  were  several  thin  lines  of 
scouts,  fifty  yards  apart,  sent  on  ahead  to  draw  the  fire  of  a 
possibly  concealed  enemy  before  the  main  army  could  come 

149 


WITH  ''  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

within  range.  On  reaching  the  ridge,  they  cautiously  sent 
out  a  few  of  the  scouts  to  discover  any  possible  danger ; 
finding  none,  they  rushed  on,  over  and  down  into  the  plain 
beyond,  toward  the  farm  south  of  the  Mud  House,  where  the 
second  line  of  kopjes  began  to  stretch  eastward  parallel  to 
the  river,  a  mile  to  the  north.  As  the  army  came  up,  halted 
before  the  ridge,  and  then  swept  on,  I  stood  watching  the 
brilliant  scene  for  an  hour  or  more,  while  my  pony  munched 
the  abundant  grass  at  my  feet.  I  knew  that,  as  the  firing- 
line  was  hurrying  on,  my  duty  was  to  follow  ;  but  the 
spectacle  of  that  great  army — two  full  divisions  and  half  a 
dozen  brigades,  with  artillery  and  cavalry  manoeuvring  in 
actual  pursuit  of  a  terrorized  enemy — was  one  so  full  of 
action  in  that  wide  and  solemn  expanse  of  grey-green  veldt, 
bordered  by  red  kopjes  and  blue  skies,  that  I  was  semi- 
hypnotized  until  the  clumsy  and  lumbering  Red  Cross 
ambulance-carts,  dragging  along  in  the  rear  of  the  khaki 
hosts,  roused  me  to  motion,  and  I  galloped  on  ahead  again. 
Near  the  Mud  House  a  small  number  of  Boers  could  be 
seen  riding  distractedly  back  and  forth  in  different  direc- 
tions, fearful  of  being  surrounded,  until  they  finally  dis- 
appeared among  the  kopjes.  Midway  on  this  plain  I  met 
my  associates,  Landon  and  Young,  and  we  let  the  tide  of 
battle  sweep  on  while  we  sat  down  for  our  dinner  among  a 
a  lot  of  abandoned  Boer  forage. 

The  Boers  had  one  gun  in  rear-guard  action  during  this 
retreat,  and  were  dropping  a  great  many  shells  among  the 
Imperial  forces.  We  were  in  the  line  of  fire  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  the  Boers  dragged  their  gun  along  in  their 
retreat  without  having  effected  any  damage.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  our  cold  lunch  I  became  impatient  and  hurried  on, 
leaving  the  other  correspondents  behind.  I  soon  caught 
up  with  the  troops,  who  had  halted  ;  I  pushed  on  ahead 
of  the  scouts,  and  found  another  three-mile  stretch  of  open 

ISO 


THE  BATTLE  OF    POPLAR  GROVE 


9  ® 


^^;s,' 


"A^^/'-.j..- ^«; 


\<$, 


X--. 


— -»s 


A 


^ 


/,^ 


>^  (rerd Frenchs 


Cavalry JBri^ctde 
'\W\\' 


Last  Stand  of  the  Burghers  at  Poplar  Grove.      Sketched  by  the  author  during 
action  while  watching  manoeuvres  from  X  mark  on  Pointed  Kopje. 


151 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

veldt,  terminating  in  a  huge  kopje,  behind  which  the  Boers 
were  making  a  new  stronghold  in  the  empty  dam  at  its 
foot.  I  climbed  the  Pointed  Kopje,  the  last  of  this  range, 
and  from  its  summit  had  as  beautiful  a  view  of  skirmishing 
for  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  as  ever  greeted  the  eyes 
of  a  war  correspondent.  Below  and  around  me  was  the 
level  veldt ;  far  off  to  the  right  General  French's  cavalry 
brigade  lay  motionless,  recuperating  for  a  night  dash  on 
Bloemfontein,  and  persuaded  to  wait  by  a  small  commando 
of  Boers  entrenched  in  the  open,  a  few  guns,  meanwhile, 
booming  lyddite  at  the  laager  behind  the  huge  black  kopje, 
three  miles  to  the  east,  by  the  river.  Kelly-Kenny's  forces 
were  behind  me  among  the  kopjes,  while  covering  the  mile 
of  space  to  the  river  were  the  scattered  forces  of  Tucker's 
division,  creeping  up  into  position  again — cavalry  ahead, 
artillery  close  behind — while  the  slow-moving  infantry 
marched  up  from  far  in  the  rear.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
river  the  advanced  lines  of  Colville's  scouts  could  be  dimly 
distinguished  from  the  blurred  surface  of  the  veldt  as  they 
slowly  advanced,  looking  like  dotted  parallel  lines  on  a 
giant  map.  Between,  the  yellow  military  balloon,  fastened 
a  few  feet  above  its  cart,  was  cautiously  moving  eastward, 
waiting  for  orders  to  rise  a  thousand  feet  overhead  and  spy 
out  the  enemy's  position  and  the  positions  of  their  guns. 

I  descended  from  the  kopje  to  get  water  for  my  horse 
and  myself  at  a  pond  a  short  distance  ahead  on  the  open 
veldt.  Here  I  was  at  the  same  time  in  advance  of  Tucker's, 
Kelly-Kenny's  and  French's  scouts,  and  between  them  all 
and  the  Boer  laager. 

While  I  was  at  the  pond  a  squadron  of  Kitchener's  horse 
passed  by  on  their  way  to  join  French.  A  battery  of  sev- 
eral Maxims  and  pom-poms  started  to  follow,  but,  drawing 
several  shells  from  the  laager,  they  were  compelled  to 
retire.    They  made  a  dash  for  cover  behind  the  more  north- 

152 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 

ward  kopje,  to  which  I  followed  them.  Turning  my  horse 
loose  among  a  lot  of  Boer  forage  I  climbed  this  kopje,  and 
reached  its  top  just  in  time  to  see  a  large  body  of  Tucker's 
Mounted  Infantry  make  a  charge  on  the  Boer  position. 

They  moved  steadily  up,  the  enemy  allowing  them  to 
come  seemingly  within  about  five  hundred  yards.  Then  the 
sharp,  irritating  "bark,  bark  "  of  Boer  pom-poms  burst  on 
the  half-silence.  The  main  body  slowed  to  a  halt.  A  few 
scattered  horsemen  rode  on  in  line  with  the  scouts.  These, 
too,  halted  ;  then  they  turned  and  galloped  furiously  back 
toward  the   main  body,  which  also  began  to  move  back- 


IP 

1 

^^yL- 

^ 

■se 

Artillery  in  Action.      A  15-pounder  ready  to  fire. 


ward.  A  few  already  in  the  rear  had  secured  a  good  start. 
The  whole  body  soon  fell  back  in  a  confused  mass,  thin- 
ning at  some  parts,  bunching  in  others.  Here  and  there  an 
empty  saddle  told  of  a  rider  thrown  or  wounded.  A  black 
horse,  striding  alone,  struck  by  a  shell,  suddenly  crumpled 
up  from  the  rear,  wrinkling  Hke  paper  in  one's  hand,  and 
stopped  abrupdy,  falling  in  a  heap.  Another  stumbled,  and 
then  rolled  and  kicked  ;  while,  all  the  while,  the  demoraliz- 
ing bark  of  that  terrible  pom-pom  jarred  my  nerves  as 
badly  as  it  disorganized  the  unhappy  mounted  infantry 
regiment  which  somebody's  blunder  had  sent  galloping 
against  the  gallant  rear-guard  of  the  retreating  Boer  army. 

153 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

But  within  another  ten  minutes  the  Imperial  guns  arrived 
and  began  to  creep  up  slowly,  alternately  firing  and  ad- 
vancing, a  hundred  yards  at  a  time,  until  within  less  than  a 
mile  of  the  laager.  As  they  were  in  a  hollow  and  out  of 
sight  of  the  enemy  the  fire  was  not  returned,  but  the  Boers 
had  one  big  gun  busily  answering  French's  naval  guns  at 
the  right. 

Later,  about  four  hundred  cavalry  made  a  detour  to  the 
south  and  west  on  the  plain  before  me,  endeavoring  to 
execute  a  flank  movement  on  the  laager  ;  but  they  were 
discovered  and  shelled  so  heavily  that  they  had  to  fall 
back  toward  French's  position.  The  laager  was  now  being 
shelled  from  three  positions — Tucker's  by  the  river,  French's 
to  the  right,  and  by  the  battery  accompanying  the  cavalry, 
which  had  fallen  back  toward  French  ;  only  the  two  last- 
mentioned  were  at  all  replied  to  by  the  Boers.  From 
my  own  position  I  could  see  the  flash  of  the  guns,  hear 
the  whistling  of  the  shells  in  the  air,  hear  the  reports  of 
the  guns,  see  the  shells  burst,  and  finally,  after  a  long  wait, 
hear  the  bursting  reports. 

While  under  the  enemy's  fire  I  could  first  see  the  red- 
dish-white spit  of  flame  from  a  Boer  gun  when  it  was  dis- 
charged ;  then  I  could  hear  the  shell  coming,  and  if  I  could 
have  known  just  where  it  would  strike  I  would  have  been 
supremely  happy  ;  but  I  could  only  wait  and  listen  for  the 
sound  of  its  explosion,  and  then  quickly  turn  my  head  in 
that  direction  in  time  to  see  its  smoke — after  the  danger 
was  over.  It  was  generally  safer  to  lie  down  ;  and  I 
always  forgot  to  note  the  sound  of  the  gun,  which  should 
arrive  shortly  after.  Being  an  American,  a  neutral  and 
non-combatant,  I  always  had  a  feeling  of  annoyance  and 
irritation,  when  under  fire,  as  though  the  enemy  should 
make  allowance  for  that  fact.  Later,  however,  even  this 
form  of  nervousness  passed  away,  and  I  was  not  conscious 

154 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 

of  anything   more  than   interest  and   curiosity  when  under 
shell-fire.     But  Mauser  fire — that's  a  different  matter. 

Afi:er  the  four-cornered  artillery  duel  had  somewhat 
abated,  about  a  dozen  scouts  in  widely-extended  order  rode 
up  from  the  hollow  near  the  guns  toward  the  laager. 
Slowly  they  cantered  onward  to  the  base  of  the  kopje. 
Neither  they  nor   I   could  tell  how  soon  a  withering  fire 


Artillery  Firing  with  Smokeless  Powder  ;  a  fraction  of  a  second  after  the  dis- 
charge, as  shown  by  the  position  of  the  men.  The  flash  would  have  been 
shown  if  it  had  been  possible  to  press  the  button  on  the  instant.  The 
smoke,  if  present,  would  have  lingered  long  enough  to  have  been  caught 
by  the  camera. 

would  be  poured  upon  them.  They  were  sent  out  to  see 
if  the  enemy  were  still  in  the  trenches  ;  failure  to  return 
would  imply  they  were.  As  I  could  see  them  distinctly, 
my  excitement  was  nearly  as  intense  as  theirs  must  have 
been.  As  they  neared  the  kopje  they  rose  on  a  slight  ridge 
I  had  not  noticed  before,  and  then  paused  on  its  top.  An- 
other dozen  followed  them,  and  then  another.  They  hud- 
dled together  nervously  for  a  moment,  and  then  a  few  ven- 

155 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

tured  around  the  right  end  and  disappeared  from  view.  Very 
soon  they  reappeared  and  began  leisurely  to  scatter  about, 
probably  looking  for  loot ;  so  I  knew  that  the  Boers  had 
retreated  farther  east  along  and  across  the  river. 

Months  afterward  I  met  one  of  these  men — Charley 
Ross,  the  Canadian  scout,  who  told  me  that  he  had  climbed 
the  kopje,  and  with  several  other  men  watched  for  an  hour 
the  Boers,  across  the  river,  streaming  away  northeastward, 
while  he  almost  shed  tears  of  vexation  because  somebody's 
blunder  had  failed  to  provide  for  the  prompt  arrival  of  ar- 
tillery to  send  a  rain  of  shells  after  them. 

*'  Why,"  he  said,  *'  with  one  battery  of  field-guns  we 
could  have  captured  a  thousand  of  the  bloody  beggars  !" 

During  the  later  part  of  these  movements  General  Wood 
climbed  the  kopje,  and  was  much  interested  in  what  I  had 
to  tell  him  of  the  preceding  events.  With  the  retreat  of 
the  Boers  from  the  big  kopje  and  the  dam  entrenchments 
the  day's  fight  concluded.  It  was  too  late  for  further  pur- 
suit, and  I  started  to  return  to  camp  before  darkness.  Look- 
ing at  my  map,  I  found  I  had  over  fifteen  miles  to  go,  and 
nearly  in  a  straight  line.  On  the  way  I  was  joined  by  an 
officer  and  his  lieutenant  whom  I  had  met  at  one  of  the 
outposts  on  the  Modder  River  trek  ;  they  were  off  duty, 
and,  like  myself,  had  merely  ridden  out  to  see  the  fight. 
We  three  rode  back  along  the  line  of  the  deserted  trenches, 
and  took  time  to  examine  the  empty  laagers  ;  also  to  loot 
or  commandeer  a  few  things  for  which  we  could  find  use. 
A  soldier  'Moots,"  and  if  caught  he  may  be  imprisoned,  or 
even  hanged ;  the  authorities  *'  commandeer,"  but  corres- 
pondents and  officers  merely  "  annex."  Evidently  the 
Boers  had  left  camp  in  a  great  hurry.  In  some  isolated 
places,  which  the  troops  had  not  reached  during  their  ad- 
vance, we  found  smouldering  fires  with  overcooked  meats, 
still  untouched,  in  pots  and  pans  and  kettles.    Near  by  were 

156 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 

some  milk-tins,  freshly  filled.  The  Major  annexed  a  fine 
toilet  set  in  a  leather  case.  The  Lieutenant  filled  two  sad- 
dle-wallets with  table  and  kitchen  utensils,  while  I  took  a 
new  mackintosh,  a  waterproof  blanket  and  a  fine  camel's- 
hair  blanket,  together  with  a  small  Bible  and  a  few  dum- 
dum cartridges,  which  were  on  a  bed  in  a  tent  near  the 
trenches. 

These  trenches  had  been  constructed  in  an  admirable 
manner,  though  they  were  not  very  deep.  They  were 
mostly  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  facing  the  English  advance, 
cleverly  concealed,  with  other  trenches  on  the  tops  of  the 
kopjes  behind.  From  their  positions  it  was  clearly  evident 
that,  had  the  Boers  stood  fast  and  waited  until  the  Eng- 
lish were  within  a  few  hundred  yards,  a  steady  fire  from 
Mauser  and  Maxim  would  have  nearly  annihilated  the 
khaki-clad  legions  and  sent  them  flying  in  helpless  retreat. 
But  the  spectacle  of  the  swarming  numbers  coming  across 
the  veldt  was  too  much  for  the  Boers,  already  half-terror- 
ized by  the  Paardeburg  affair ;  and  when  they  saw  away  to 
the  southward,  five  miles  beyond  their  left  flank,  General 
French's  turning  movement,  they  did  not  wait  to  see  how 
far  he  would  get,  but  fled  without  firing  a  shot  until  the 
rear-guard  action  was  forced  upon  them  later  by  the  close 
proximity  of  their  pursuers.  We  went  through  five  miles 
of  the  laagers,  and  from  the  appearance  of  some  of  them 
the  Boers  had  been  waiting  there  a  long  time,  expecting 
the  attack  weeks  earlier.  Everything  was  in  confusion  ; 
clothing  and  food  supplies  were  scattered  in  all  directions  ; 
where  the  Tommies  passed  through  they  ate  ravenously 
everything  they  found,  having  been  on  half-rations  for  a 
long  time.  At  one  place  I  found  a  soap-box  post-office  on 
a  post ;  I  tore  the  sign  off  as  a  curio  and  took  it  with  me. 
Among  other  souvenirs  I  collected  was  a  small  tobacco- 
pouch,  carefully  and  elaborately  embroidered.    Bibles  were 

157 


.  WITH  "  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

strewn  all  about,  and  every  tent  or  hut  constructed  of 
stones  and  branches  had  a  few  letters  scattered  around.  Of 
course  our  curiosity  caused  us  to  consume  considerable 
time,  and  the  sun  fell  below  the  kopje-lined  horizon  while 
I  was  still  five  miles  from  camp. 

About  this  time  we  met  the  headquarters  convoy  on  its 
way  to  the  new  headquarters  at  Poplar  Grove.  As  the 
troops  were  all  far  in  advance,  this  consisted  only  of  a  long 
line  of  carts  and  wagons  drawn  by  mules,  horses,  and  trek- 
oxen.  Now  and  then  a  Cape-cart  containing  a  tired,  dirty 
correspondent  inside,  passed  by,  driving  ahead  of  the  more 
slowly-moving  transport. 

At  one  place  we  passed  almost  a  regiment  of  native  ser- 
vants hunting  for  their  masters.  The  field  telegraph  corps 
were  already  following  the  insulated  ground  telegraph  wire 
dropped  by  the  headquarters  staff  as  they  advanced,  and  were 
erecting  in  its  place  the  permanent  wire  on  slender  rods 
about  fifteen  feet  high.  The  road  was  becoming  very  bad, 
and  my  pony  was  tired,  having  carried  me  nearly  forty-five 
miles  since  sunrise.  Several  times  he  had  stumbled  badly, 
plunging  along  several  yards  with  his  nose  in  the  dirt,  and 
nearly  unseating  me,  so  I  was  immeasurably  relieved  to  see 
the  tall  willows  of  Osfontein  rising  out  of  the  darkness 
ahead  of  me,  though  I  reached  the  camp  to  find  Landon, 
Pollock  and  Young  all  busily  engaged  in  preparing  letters 
and  cables,  which,  together  with  my  own  copy,  I  was  to 
carry  into  Kimberley,  forty  miles  away,  the  next  morning. 

The  casualties  among  the  English  that  day  amounted  to 
about  forty.  Among  them  was  Lieutenant  Keswick,  my 
guest  at  the  De  Villiers  farm  a  few  days  before.  Several 
Boer  guns  were  found  buried  in  trenches  after  their  car- 
riages had  been  disabled.  Steyn  and  Kriiger  had  gotten 
safely  away  with  the  rest  of  the  army,  with  more  speed 
than  dignity  ;  and,  owing  to  French's  neglect  to  get  around 

158 


THE  BATTLE  OF  POPLAR  GROVE 

to  the  rear  of  the  Boer  position  before  daybreak,  **  Bobs  " 
missed  his  greatest  opportunity  to  end  the  war.  Three 
months  later  I  was  the  guest,  one  evening,  of  Colonel  Gourko 
and  Lieutenant  Thompson,  the  military  attaches  captured 
from  the  Boer  side,  after  they  had  been  returned  by  the  way 
of  Delagoa  Bay  to  the  Boer  army.  I  showed  them  my  map 
of  this  Poplar  Grove  affair,  and  with  the  greatest  interest 
we  went  over  it  together.  We  found  the  Boer  positions,  as 
marked,  substantially  correct.  Our  other  information  con- 
cerning the  Boers  was  approximately  accurate  also,  with 
the  single  exception  that  instead  of  twelve  thousand  men 
in  the  trenches,  with  thirty  thousand  concentrating  behind, 
the  total  Boer  force  at  Poplar  Grove  opposing  Lord  Roberts' 
entire  army  of  nearly  forty  thousand  men  amounted  to  less 
than  twenty-five  hundred  !  This  is  official  and  beyond  dis- 
pute. From  then  on,  until  the  appearance  of  General  De 
Wet  in  the  Free  States,  there  was  no  further  serious  oppo- 
sition to  the  advance  of  the  Imperial  army. 


59 


CHAPTER  XVITI. 

THE    OCCUPATION    OF    BLOEMFONTEIN. 

EARLY  on  the  morning  after  the  battle  I  was  in  the 
saddle  again,  riding  hard  to  the  new  headquarters  at 
Poplar  Grove  to  have  our  despatches  censored,  and  then 
to  ride  on  to  Kimberley.  I  had  to  double  back  on  my 
tracks  from  Poplar  Grove  to  Koodoosrand,  cross  the  drift 
there,  and  then  follow  the  road  across  the  veldt  to  the  city 
of  diamond  fame.  The  horse  I  used  this  time  was  Landon's 
best, — a  magnificent  English  hunter,  imported  into  the  coun- 
try at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  He  was  a  big  animal, 
and  I  galloped  him  fifty-five  miles  that  day,  with  an  hour's 
rest  half  way.  My  method  was  to  gallop  hard  for  half  an 
hour,  then  dismount  and  walk  ten  minutes  ;  the  short  rest 
always  redoubled  the  horse's  energy  by  the  time  I  got  into 
the  saddle  again.  The  whole  of  the  next  day  I  allowed  him 
to  rest,  giving  him  a  short  gallop  through  Kimberley  in  the 
afternoon.  This  was  my  first  visit  to  the  city,  and  I  was 
sorry  to  leave  it  so  soon  ;  but  on  the  third  day  I  started 
back  at  sunrise,  having  a  presentiment  that  I  had  wasted 
time  for  which  I  would  be  sorry  later  on.  I  did  not  ride 
so  hard  this  time,  but  pushed  steadily  on,  arriving  at  Poplar 
Grove  only  to  find  it  deserted.  The  army  had  gone  on. 
This  was  sorry  news,  for  I  had  carried  no  forage  for  my 
horse,  and  he  needed  some  badly. 

I  met  a  few  transports,  from  the  conductors  of  which  I 
learned  that  the  army  had  started  on  the  march  the  day 
before.  There  was  no  trouble  in  following  it,  for  an  army 
leaves  tracks  behind  it  as  it  progresses,  and  the  broken-up 

1 60 


THE  OCCUPATION  OF  BLOEMFONTEIN 


surface  of  the  veldt  for  the  width  of  half  a  mile,  contracting  at 
times  into  a  narrower  but  deep-grooved  track,  showed  the  way 
more  plainly  than  any  map.  I  pushed  on  slowly,  and  by  sun- 
set overtook  the  main  transport.  The  army,  of  course,  was 
ahead,  and  eight  o'clock  brought  me  to  headquarters  and 
"The  Times  "  outfit,  after  having  ridden  sixty-four  miles. 

It  was  hard  on  the  horse,  and 
I  never  rode  him  again.  In  fact, 
he  never  recovered  frOm  the  effects 
of  that  ride  to  Kimberley  and  back, 
and  no  one  regretted  it  more  than  I. 
During  those  three  days  I  had 
learned  to  be  almost  too  fond  of  the 
animal ;  one  incident  will  show  why. 
On  the  first  day,  when  I  off-saddled 
him  to  rest  half  way,  I  noticed  that 
he  showed  no  disposition  to  stray. 
Indeed,  when  I  stretched  myself  on 
the  grass  he  ate  around  me  in  a 
very  small  circle,  and  when  I  got 
up  to  walk  a  short  distance  off  he 
followed  me  like  a  dog.  At  Kim- 
berley I  left  him  standing  at  the 
curb  and  went  into  a  drug  store  to 
inquire  the  way  to  the  telegraph 
office ;  I  saw  the  clerk  look  excitedly  over  my  shoulder  at 
the  door,  and  turning,  found  that  my  horse  had  followed 
me  half  way  in.  I  backed  him  out,  and  then  rode  on, 
after  receiving  directions.  When  walking  to  rest  him,  be- 
tween gallops,  I  soon  found  he  would  follow  without  my 
leading  him.  During  my  return  ride  I  stopped  to  off- 
saddle  at  a  deserted  farmhouse,  and  I  turned  him  loose 
without  halter  or  bridle  in  a  small  patch  of  grass,  and  sat 
down  under  a  near-by  tree  to  rest. 
"  i6i 


General  French  poses  for 
the  author.  A  charac- 
teristic attitude  during 
an  engagement. 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

After  cropping  the  thin  grass  for  five  minutes  he  suddenly- 
stopped,  lifted  his  head,  looked  around  a  bit,  and  then  de- 
liberately started  off  on  a  trot.  Naturally  I  was  somewhat 
disturbed  at  the  prospect  of  having  to  chase  him,  perhaps 
many  miles,  before  catching  him  ;  but  instead  of  following 
at  once  I  waited.  Several  hundred  yards  away  were  a 
number  of  half-wild  veldt  horses,  which  I  thought  he  was 
going  to  join,  but  he  trotted  calmly  past  them  and  went 
on,  stopping  at*  last  at  a  dam  which  I  had  not  seen.  He 
waded  out  into  the  middle,  drank  full  and  deep,  and  then, 
without  even  a  look  at  the  other  horses,  turned  around, 
walked  out  and  started,  again  at  a  trot,  back  to  where  I 
was  sitting,  stopping  when  he  came  up,  and  going  on  eat- 
ing the  poor  grass  there,  although  he  had  passed  much 
better  patches  on  his  way  back.  Three  weeks  passed,  after 
my  sixty-four-mile  ride,  before  I  saw  him  again  ;  then  he 
was  stabled  in  a  yard  at  Bloemfontein.  I  walked  up  to  the 
gate  and  whistled ;  he  trotted  over,  stuck  his  nose  in  my 
my  hand,  and  then  followed  me  all  over  the  yard,  rubbing 
my  shoulder  and  arm.  It  had  been  cruel  of  me  to  ride 
him  so  hard,  but  war's  necessity  forced  it. 

As  it  was,  I  only  caught  up  with  the  army  after  the  bat- 
tle of  Driefontein  had  ended.  It  had  been  a  sharp  conflict, 
and  both  sides  had  lost  heavily.  Young  had  had  a  horse 
shot  under  him  in  the  afternoon,  thus  reducing  our  lot  by 
still  another  one.  Two  of, our  other  horses  were  lost,  and 
we  had  to  yoke  two  steers  to  the  spring  wagon.  I  had 
missed  the  battle,  and  early  the  next  morning  the  army 
was  on  the  march  again.  I  rode  a  sick  horse  a  few  hours, 
and  then  commandeered  an  abandoned  artillery  horse  on 
the  veldt.  This  was  Sunday,  and  the  army  advanced  from 
Driefontein  only  twelve  miles  farther,  to  Assfogelskop  and 
Doornboom.  Early  Monday  the  trek  was  resumed  to  Ven- 
tersvalli — sixteen    miles.      French's    cavalry    division    was 

162 


THE  OCCUPATION  OF  BLOEMFONTEIN 

always  one  day  in  advance  of  the  staff,  and  monopolized 
the  fighting,  which,  of  course,  I  missed  seeing.  General 
French  made  a  forced  march  from  Ventersvalli,  his  horses 
having  no  forage  for  two  days  except  the  sparse  vegetation 
of  the  veldt,  and  by  twenty  hours'  continuous  marching 
reached  the  kopjes  near  Bloemfontein  Monday  evening, 
where,  on  Monday  night  and  early  the  following  morning, 
he  exchanged  a  few  shots  with  the  enemy,  without  damage 
to  either  side.  About  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  bat- 
talion of  Roberts'  horse  entered  the  city,  and  on  their 
approach  about  four  hundred  Boers  left,  taking  with  them  as 
prisoners  a  body  of  scouts  which  had  entered  earlier.  The 
battalion  of  Roberts'  horse  also  withdrew.  By  ten  o'clock 
Lord  Roberts  and  his  staff  reached  French's  position,  and 
established  temporary  headquarters  at  Mr.  John  Steyn's 
country  seat,  eight  miles  south  of  the  capital.  Here  he 
was  entertained  at  breakfast  by  the  President's  brother, 
who  had  wisely  refrained  from  flight  and  thus  saved  his 
property  from  destruction,  for  Lord  Roberts  immediately 
put  a  guard  of  forty  men  about  the  place.  A  magnificent 
view  of  the  wide  plain,  with  Bloemfontein  at  the  farther 
edge,  could  be  had  from  a  ridge  of  kopjes  three  miles  from 
Mr.  Steyn's  place,  and  from  which  Lord  Roberts  and  his 
staff  waited  the  intelligence  of  the  city's  surrender,  which 
arrived  about  noon.  Then,  with  the  Cavalry  Brigade,  the 
Field  Marshal  advanced,  met  some  of  the  Free  State  offi- 
cials two  miles  out,  and  accepted  their  surrender,  after 
which  he  entered  the  city  and  occupied  the  capital  of  the 
Orange  Free  State. 

I  rode  up  on  my  commandeered  steed  just  as  *'Bobs" 
was  leaving  Mr.  Steyn's  house ;  he,  with  his  staff,  the  mili- 
tary attaches,  a  few  correspondents  and  a  dashing  escort  of 
lancers,  swept  across  the  veldt  to  the  summit  of  the  ridge 
and  dismounted.   Taking  a  short  cut,  I  followed  and  reached 

163 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


the  ridge  about  the  same  time,  though  several  hundred 
yards  farther  east.  Before  our  eyes,  bright  in  the  clear 
sunshine  and  the  transparent  atmosphere,  lay  Bloemfontein, 
the  capital  of  the  Free  State.  Between  the  city  and  us  a 
five-mile  stretch  of  velvety  veldt,  as  flat  as  a  billiard-table, 
lay  under  a  cloudless  sky.      The   enemy,  completely  sur- 


Mr.  John  Steyn,  Brother  of  President  Steyn,  and  Daughter,  Posing  for  the 
Author  at  Mr.  Steyn' s  Country  Residence,  eight  miles  south  of  Bloem- 
fontein. 

prised,  was  miles  away  to  the  northwest,  where  they  had 
entrenched  and  were  awaiting  the  advance  attack  of  the 
hated  English.  On  each  flank  the  British  artillery  were 
moving  out  to  encircle  the  town. 

It  was  evident  that  by  night  the  place  would  be  forced 
to  surrender.  Of  the  previous  exploit  of  the  battalion  of 
Roberts'   horse   I  was  ignorant.     So  far  as  I   knew,  Boer 

164 


THE  OCCUPATION  OF  BLOEMFONTEIN 

cannon  might  at  any  moment  open  on  us  from  the  high 
kopjes  near  Bloemfontein.  Dreamily  looking  across  the 
quiet  valley  at  the  shining  tin  roofs  in  the  distance,  a  wild 
American  thought  surged  through  my  brain  ;  then,  moving 
well  to  the  right  of  the  staff  so  as  to  avoid  detention,  I 
cautiously  rode  down  the  steep  side  of  the  kopje,  found  my 
way  to  the  khaki-colored  wagon-road  which  stretched  in  a 
nearly  straight  line  across  the  veldt,  and  quietly  cantered 
into  Bloemfontein.  Capture,  or  worse,  was  possible,  but  I 
was  willing  to  risk  any  danger  to  have  the  honor  of  being 
first  in  Bloemfontein. 

On  the  way,  and  about  two  miles  from  the  city,  I  met  a 
party  of  natives  on  horseback.  They  all  took  off  their  hats 
to  me  and  shouted  "  God  Save  the  Queen,"  after  which  I 
graciously  allowed  them  to  pass  on.  I  had  a  notion  to 
commandeer  one  of  their  horses,  but  concluded  that  that 
would  be  unkind.  Haifa  mile  out  I  met  two  young  ladies 
on  bicycles,  wheeling  toward  the  head  of  Lord  Roberts' 
column,  which  was  forming  several  miles  in  the  rear  and 
to  the  left.  Near  the  city  I  passed  several  carriages  con- 
taining half  a  dozen  long-bearded  burghers,  whom  I 
rightly  guessed  to  be  town  officials.  They  afterward  drove 
on  toward  the  column,  while  the  ladies  returned  to  the 
city.  The  main  road,  as  it  enters  the  city  of  Bloemfontein, 
passes  over  a  small  kopje,  on  the  summit  of  which  stands 
a  handsome  monument  in  memory  of  the  Burgher-Basuto 
war  ;  near  by  is  also  the  town  artillery  barracks  ;  then  the 
road  plunges  directly  into  the  city  down  a  low  grade,  end- 
ing in  the  market  square. 

As  I  rode  alone  toward  the  monument  I  was  loudly 
cheered  by  various  groups  of  ladies  and  a  few  men  who 
had  gathered  to  welcome  the  British.  One  old  lady  shouted 
to  me,  **We  have  been  waiting  a  long  time  for  you  to 
come.     Thank   God,  you  are  here  at  last !"     These  were 

165 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Uitlanders,  or  British  subjects,  who  had  been  allowed  to 
remain  by  the  Boers  during  the  war.  I  had  been  some- 
what embarrassed  by  so  much  attention,  and,  until  this  in- 
cident, I  was  undecided  as  to  how  to  receive  it.  Then  I 
determined  that,  temporarily  at  least,  as  I  was  wearing  a 
khaki-colored  coat,  purchased  at  Kimberley,  I  would  have 
to  play  the  part  of  a  true  Briton,  so  I  began  to  salute  with 
my  riding-whip  in  my  best  military  manner.  I  decided  to 
await  the  arrival  of  Lord  Roberts  at  the  monument,  having 
from  there  a  clear  view  of  the  entire  surrounding  country. 

As  the  troops  began  their  march  toward  the  city  a 
number  of  blacks  who,  throughout  the  war,  had  believed 
that  English  victory  would  mean  for  them  release  from  the 
Boer  yoke,  which  they  understood  to  mean  the  granting  of 
the  freedom  which  is  license,  broke  open  the  doors  of  the 
Barracks  in  their  hilarious  joy  and  commenced  looting. 
Men  and  women,  also  a  great  number  of  pickaninnies, 
rushed  inside,  upsetting  the  furniture  and  breaking  win- 
dows. Suddenly  one  big  fellow  emerged  with  a  quaint- 
looking  helmet  on  his  head.  This  set  the  pace  for  the  rest, 
and  soon  helmets,  bedding,  drums,  trumpets  and  uniforms 
were  being  passed  around  in  the  crowd,  occasioning  many 
quarrels  and  struggles  for  possession.  While  this  was  oc- 
curring, the  small  crowd  of  whites  stood  quietly  watching, 
none  daring  to  interfere.  Temporarily  there  was  no  law, 
for  the  Free  Stater  troops  had  departed  hours  before,  and 
the  English  had  not  yet  taken  possession. 

The  uproar  was  at  its  height  when  the  occupying  force, 
with  "Bobs"  at  its  head,  reached  the  base  of  the  kopje. 
First  appeared  the  escort  of  Lancers,  then  several  car- 
riages, containing  the  Mayor,  Landrost,  State  Secretary 
and  other  officials  of  the  Free  State.  Then  followed  half 
a  company  of  lancers  in  close  order,  stretching  across  the 
road,  and  acting  as  escort  for  Field  Marshal  Lord  Roberts, 

i66 


THE  OCCUPATION  OF  BLOEMFONTEIN 

of  Kandahar,  who  followed  ten  yards  behind,  riding  alone. 
Directly  after  him  came  the  staff,  the  military  attaches  and 
then  the  whole  corps  of  war  correspondents  riding  in  a 
body.  I  was  about  to  join  them  when  I  saw  Lord  Roberts 
observing  the  looting  natives,  who  were  waving  military 
coats,  horns  and  trumpets  in  the  air,  and  shouting  '*  God 
Save  the  Queen  !"  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  big  base- 
drum,  vigorously  kicked  by  half  a  dozen  at  once  ;  then  he 
pulled  up  his  horse,  halting  the  entire  column,  and  called 
to  his  staff  officers  to  stop  the  looting.  Several  of  them 
dashed  forward,  and  with  their  riding-whips  soon  convinced 
the  blacks  that  there  had  been  a  mistake.  The  officers 
were  reinforced  by  half  a  dozen  of  the  lancers,  and, 
under  the  personal  supervision  of  Lord  Roberts,  every  ar- 
ticle was  returned  to  the  Barracks ;  and  not  until  then  did 
the  column  proceed  on  its  march  of  entry  and  occupa- 
tion. 

This  incident  made  a  deep  impression  for  good  on  the 
crowd  of  whites,  who  redoubled  their  cheering,  which  the 
chief  acknowledged  as  he  passed  on.  Simultaneously  with 
the  advance  down  the  hill  into  the  city  the  company  of 
lancers  began  singing  ''The  Soldiers  of  The  Queen,"  which 
was  taken  up  by  the  entire  cavalry  brigade  behind.  It  was 
a  thrilling  scene,  even  to  a  disinterested  American  war  cor- 
respondent, and  I  felt  something  very  much  like  a  hurrah 
ascending  my  throat ;  but  I  kept  quiet,  and  before  the 
lancers  had  reached  my  position  I  jagged  the  last  remain- 
ing gallop  out  of  my  tired  horse  with  my  spurs  and  rode  on 
ahead  of  the  column  during  its  march  through  the  city. 

Save  for  a  few  natives  scattered  about  the  streets,  and 
small  groups  of  people,  mostly  women  and  children,  at  the 
crossings,  the  city  seemed  deserted.  The  houses  were  all 
tightly  closed,  the  occupants  evidently  fearing  a  general 
loot  by  ''The  Soldiers  of  The  Queen."     The  small  groups 

167 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


all  cheered  us  indiscriminately  as  we  progressed,  I  myself 
coming  in  for  a  goodly  share.  After  half  a  mile  of  this 
dismal  sort  of  progress  we  came  to  the  market  square, 
where  a  much  larger  and  more  enthusiastic  crowd  was 
gathered.  Here  the  column  turned  to  the  left,  passed  by 
the  Bloemfontein  Club  and  the  United 
States  sub-Consul's  office;  over  this, 
as  I  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  I  let 
out  a  whoop  which  made  a  few  of 
the  Free  Staters  look  at  me  rather 
curiously.  I  paid  no  attention  to 
them,  but  went  on  into  Maitland 
Street,  for  which  I  saw  the  column 
behind  was  heading.  Leaving  the 
square,  the  atmosphere  of  desertion 
and  hushed  suspense  again  asserted 
itself  until  another  half  mile  brought 
us  to  the  government  buildings.  In 
front  stood  the  statue  of  Sir  John 
Brand,  twenty-five  years  President 
of  the  Free  State,  and  knighted  by 
the  Queen.  Here  was  another  halt 
while  Lord  Roberts  quietly  read  the 
inscription  on  the  base  of  the  monu- 
ment. A  crowd  closed  in  about  him  ; 
English  residents  pressed  forward 
to  thank  him  for  coming,  and  burgh- 
ers approached  to  ask  protection 
for  their  families  and  property.  The  keys  of  the  govern- 
ment buildings  were  delivered  up  to  him  by  a  government 
official,  after  which  Lord  Roberts  again  led  the  way,  turn- 
ing to  the  left  for  several  blocks  into  Georges  Street,  where 
he  halted  again,  before  the  Presidency  Building — a  large, 
white  sandstone    structure,   extremely  imposing  and  very 

i68 


Mr.  John  Fraser,  of  Bloem- 
fontein, Secretary  of 
State  of  the  Orange  Free 
State,  who  officially  sur- 
rendered the  Capital  to 
Lord  Roberts.  He  was 
the  single  pro-British 
member  of  the  Raadzaal, 
or  Parliament. 


THE  OCCUPATION  OF  BLOEMFONTEIN 

handsome,  from  which  President  Steyn  had  departed  in 
haste  only  the  evening  before.  The  gates  were  closed  and 
some  one  inside  was  objecting  to  opening  them,  but  soon 
they  swung  back  and  ''  Bobs  "  rode  into  the  grounds,  fol- 
lowed by  the  staff,  attaches  and  correspondents. 

When  the  Presidency  was  reached,  I  halted  until  the 
group  of  correspondents  came  by,  and  then,  joining  them,  I 
rode  into  the  grounds  while  the  men  shouted  **  God  Save 
the  Queen  !"  and  everybody  congratulated  everybody  else. 
As  I  joined  the  correspondents  one  of  them  shouted  to  me, 
**  I  hear  you  are  the  first  in  ;  when  did  you  get  here  ?" 
Blushing  with  pleasure  at  this  public  recognition  of  my 
feat,  I  answered — shamelessly  adding  an  extra  hour  or  two 
to  the  hour,  so  as  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure.  A  roar 
of  laughter  followed,  and  I  learned  the  speaker  himself,  with 
two  others,  had  been  in  and  out  again  four  or  five  hours  be- 
fore my  arrival.  There  is  some  satisfaction,  after  you  have 
taken  desperate  chances,  in  receiving  the  proper  reward  for 
so  doing  ;  but  to  have  persuaded  yourself  for  several  hours 
that  you  were  running  grave  risks,  and  then,  when  you  are 
about  to  close  your  fingers  upon  the  bubble  of  satisfaction, 
to  discover  there  had  been  no  risk  at  all,  and  to  awaken 
from  the  fond  delusion  to  find  yourself  an  object  of  ridicule 
is  mildly  exasperating,  to  say  the  least.  However,  I 
laughed  with  the  others  and  admitted  my  error.  Then  we 
learned  that  the  attaches  and  correspondents  would  have  to 
find  quarters  at  the  hotels,  while  the  chief  and  his  staff  oc- 
cupied the  Presidency.  Before  we  left  the  band  assembled, 
played  *'  God  Save  the  Queen,"  and  an  officer  hauled  a 
small  Union  Jack  up  the  flagstaff  in  the  corner  of  the 
yard,  while  everybody  cheered,  and  Landon  took  a  photo- 
graph. As  we  rode  out  of  the  grounds,  my  horse  jostled 
me  against  Captain  Slocum,  the  American  military  attache, 
whom  I  had  met  at  the  Consulate  at  Cape  Town.     We  ex- 

169 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

changed  congratulations  at  being  present  on  so  impressive 
an  occasion,  and  arranged  to  meet  again  later  in  the  day. 

By  this  time  it  was  after  two  o'clock,  and  together  with 
several  other  correspondents  I  hunted  up  a  hotel,  where, 
after  threatening  to  confiscate  the  entire  property,  we  per- 
suaded a  reluctant  landlord  to  furnish  us  with  a  hot  meal, 
first  opening  a  few  bottles  of  champagne.  Our  only  other 
alternative  was  to  drink  tea ;  coffee  and  other  alcoholic 
liquors  had  been  completely  exhausted  during  the  five 
months'  isolation.  So  we  each  drank  our  quart  of  *'  extra 
dry"  in  honor  of  Lord  Roberts'  triumphal  entry  into 
Bloemfontein,  the  Capital  of  the  Orange  Free  State,  on  that 
13th  day  of  March,  in  the  year  1900. 

The  reluctance  of  the  landlord  to  serve  us  was  not  so 
much  due  to  his  hostility  to  everything  English  as  to  the 
fact  that  almost  his  entire  staff  of  black  servants  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  presence  of  the  troops  to  desert  him  in  a 
body.  We  did  not  allow  a  little  thing  like  that  to  bother 
us,  and  the  landlord  was  pleased  to  wait  upon  us  himself 
Then  we  went  to  the  Bloemfontein  Club,  a  handsome  stone 
and  brick  structure  on  the  market  square,  where  the  of- 
ficers of  the  army  had  installed  themselves  as  self-invited 
guests. 

A  goodly  number  of  Free  Staters  were  there  also,  not 
quite  sure  that  the  new  order  of  things  included  them, 
but  nevertheless  resolved  to  make  the  best  of  their  posi- 
tion and  be  as  friendly  as  possible  with  their  conquerors. 
They  talked  freely  with  me  on  the  situation,  and  my  nation- 
ality seemed  to  be  an  immediate  bond  of  sympathy.  They 
all  admitted  that  so  far  the  Free  State  was  concerned  "  the 
war  was  now  over."  President  Steyn  had  fled  the  night 
before.  It  was  said  he  would  have  been  shot  had  his  fel- 
low-citizens known  of  his  intended  desertion.  In  fact,  he 
rode  off  toward  the   British  lines  at  sundown,  and  had  his 

170 


THE  OCCUPATION  OF  BLOEMFONTEIN 

cart  meet  him  out  on  the  open  veldt  south  of  Bloemfontein  ; 
then,  driving  around  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  he  retreated 
northward  and  joined  the  commandoes  at  Brandfort.  The 
abuse  of  Steyn  which  followed  this  course  came  mainly 
from  pro-British  Free  Staters ;  subsequent  events  completely 
vindicate  the  President's  action,  for  his  constant  presence 
among  his  troops  has  been  as  great  a  factor  in  continuing 
the  war  as  the  personality  of  De  Wet  has  been  among 
the  Transvaal  burghers.  There  was  a  general  admission 
that  the  burghers  would  continue  to  make  a  stubborn 
resistance  ;  and,  as  one  old  Free  Stater  said  to  me,  *'  We 
expect  plenty  of  hard  fighting  yet."  The  general  opinion 
among  British  officers  was  that  about  four  months  would 
be  required  to  end  the  war. 


171 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

OBSERVATIONS    IN    THE    FREE    STATE. 

THE  nature  of  the  country  taken  into  consideration,  this 
invasion  of  the  Free  State,  terminating  in  the  occu- 
pation of  Bloemfontein,  was  really  a  marvellous  achieve- 
ment. With  the  sole  exception  of  the  oxen  drawing  a 
portion  of  the  transports,  neither  man  nor  beast  could  '*  live 
off  of  the  country."  The  transport  service  was  compelled 
to  carry  food  for  the  men  and  forage  for  their  horses  from 
the  base  at  Modder  River.  The  roads  were  generally  bad, 
being  either  virgin  veldt — heavy  mud,  bringing  the  carts  to 
a  standstill  at  times — or,  after  a  day's  sunshine,  fine  dust 
three  to  six  inches  deep,  which  was  quite  as  bad.  For 
two  days  before  taking  Bloemfontein  General  French's 
Cavalry  Brigade  had  been  without  forage  other  than  that 
of  the  veldt,  and  before  it  could  go  into  service  again 
the  brigade  had  to  be  entirely  remounted.  The  wastage 
of  horses  at  this  time  was  over  five  thousand  a  month. 
Native  horses,  broken  in  and  accustomed  to  the  veldt,  on 
which  they  could  live,  were  only  to  be  had  in  small  num- 
bers, for  the  Boers  had  commandeered  all  they  could  round 
up  as  they  retreated.  In  addition  to  the  difficulties  of  the 
transport,  after  the  column  left  the  Modder  River  at  Pop- 
lar Grove  water  became  scarce,  and  obtainable  only  about 
once  in  every  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  from  the  farm  dams.  The 
days  were  cloudless,  so  the  hot  sub-tropical  sun  beat 
directly  down  on  the  straggling  lines  of  Tommies,  while 
the  bitterly  cold  nights,  with  occasional  sprinklings  of  rain, 
made  the   coming  of  darkness  a   daily  horror  to  the  poor 

172 


OBSERVATIONS  IN  THE  FREE  STATE 

fellows,  most  of  whom  carried  only  a  single  blanket,  and 
that  not  very  heavy.  Only  staff  officers  and  correspond- 
ents indulged  in  the  luxury  of  carts  and  tents,  and  dur- 
ing the  last  few  days  of  forced  marching  the  latter  were 
never  unpacked.  Then  the  sickness  of  many  of  the  men, 
with  its  depressing  effect  on  their  companions,  and  the 
failure  of  the  enemy  to  support  the  fagging  excitement  of 
the  troops  and  relieve  the  tedium  by  making  a  fight,  were 


%.. 

A}. 

Ci^^i 

.m 

-J 

An  improvised  water-cart,  made  from  a  whislcey-barrel,  used  at  Bloemfon- 
tein  during  the  water- famine  after  General  De  Wet  had  captured  the  city's 
water-works,  about  twenty  miles  distant. 


additional  causes  of  discouragement  for  the  English.  The 
average  soldier  can  better  endure  two  days  of  fighting  and 
one  of  marching  than  three  days  of  marching  alone,  even 
though  on  the  fighting  days  he  may  be  compelled  to  march 
farther  than  on  the  marching  days.  The  excitement  of  a 
fight  is  a  wonderful  stimulant,  but  mere  steady  marching 
after  a  retreating  enemy,  far  in  the  lead,  is  the  hardest  kind 
of  work. 

As  a  marching  and  as   a  fighting  General,  too  much 

173 


WITH  "  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

praise  cannot  be  given  to  Lord  Roberts.  Of  Lord  Kitch- 
ener the  opinion  most  commonly  expressed  among  the 
army  officers  was,  *'  No  better  man  can  be  found  to  take 
any  number  of  men,  with  their  equipment,  any  given  dis- 
tance within  any  given  time ;  but  as  soon  as  they  get  there, 
for  God's  sake  don't  let  him  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
fighting."  There  was  much  talk  at  this  time  of  Lord 
Roberts  taking  command,  with  Kitchener  as  his  Chief  of 
Staff;  that  ''  Bobs  "  was  to  be  the  figure-head,  while  Kitch- 
ener was  to  do  the  work.  In  the  course  of  time  this  came 
to  Lord  Roberts'  ears,  and  it  is  natural  to  infer  it  did  not 
please  him  overmuch.  At  any  rate,  there  was  no  lack  of 
evidence  that  **Bobs"  was  **the  whole  thing"  himself,  and 
that  Kitchener  was  in  fact  as  well  as  in  rank  a  subordinate. 
After  the  battle  of  Poplar  Grove  General  Kitchener  was 
sent  to  Kimberley,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  advance 
on  Bloemfontein  he  was  down  at  De  Aar,  superintending 
the  reopening  of  railway  communication,  from  Nauwport 
and  Colesberg  Junction,  with  Bloemfontein. 

There  is  little  love  lost  between  Lord  Kitchener  and  the 
war  correspondents  ;  not  that  the  latter  are  not  willing 
enough  to  be  friendly,  for  that  is  their  duty,  but  because 
Kitchener  hates  the  light  of  publicity  as  Satan  hates  holy 
water.  Had  he  had  his  way,  we  would  all  have  been  sent 
back  to  Cape  Town  in  February  ;  Lord  Roberts,  on  the 
other  hand,  gave  us  a  ''free  hand,"  with  no  restrictions,  to 
roam  as  we  would.  During  the  last  few  days  of  this  march 
the  war  correspondents  were  in  a  terrible  plight.  Our 
horses  were  becoming  exhausted  for  want  of  proper  food, 
their  powers  being  overtaxed,  and  it  was  impossible  to 
keep  fresh  riding-horses  in  reserve  for  use  during  a  possi- 
ble attack  at  any  moment.  In  addition  to  our  other  troubles 
the  army  commissariat  had  refused  to  furnish  us  with 
rations  and  forage,  compelling  the  carting  of  all  supplies 


OBSERVATIONS  IN  THE  FREE  STATE 

from  Modder  River  or  Kimberley,  more  than  sixty  miles 
westward. 

Up  to  this  time  my  relations  with  the  British  officers  had 
been  almost  entirely  of  a  social  nature.  I  found  them  with- 
out exception  to  be  the  most  courteous  and  pleasant  set  of 
men  I  have  ever  met — always  dignified,  and  with  what 
seemed  to  me  to  be  an  exceptionally  high  sense  of  honor, 
their  code  of  which  every  man  appeared  to  live  up  to  also. 
Later  on  I  was  able  to  see  something  more  of  the  same 
men  in  action  at  close  quarters.  I  do  not  care  to  criticise 
their  efficiency  as  officers,  for  what  demerits  they  have 
are  more  the  fault  of  the  system  than  of  the  material. 
But  as  to  courage  and  bravery,  the  English  officer  has 
few  equals  and  no  superiors.  Bravery,  especially  in  time 
of  battle,  is  largely  a  matter  of  comparison.  The  British 
Tommy,  drawn  from  the  slums  of  London,  where  for  per- 
haps many  generations  he  and  his  ancestors  had  never 
known  the  meaning  of  comfort,  taken  on  a  dreary  voyage 
to  Table  Bay,  half-baked  in  cattle-cars  for  a  thousand  miles 
across  the  Karroo  Desert,  then  marched  in  the  heat  of  day, 
sleeping  chilled  and  wet  at  night,  on  half-rations  all  the 
time — after  such  a  preparation  a  real  battle  or  skirmish  with 
the  enemy  is  a  tremendous  relief  from  a  terrible  monotony, 
and  requires  only  a  low  grade  of  courage  to  urge  Tommy 
onward, — he  has  so  little  to  lose. 

But  with  the  aristocratic  officers  the  case  is  quite  differ- 
ent. They  have  been  in  perhaps  half  a  dozen  campaigns 
before  ;  there  is  nothing  novel  in  the  experience.  They 
have  left  comfortable  barracks  or  luxurious  quarters  and 
clubs  in  London  ;  they  belong  to  the  upper  ten  thousand 
who  have  more  or  less  of  all  that  man  can  desire.  They 
have  left  behind,  and  hope  to  go  back  to,  all  that's  best 
in  life.  They  may  lose  what  all  the  rest  of  humanity  are 
strenuously  striving  with  might  and  main  to  obtain.     And 

175 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

they  know  it.  And  whenever  they  rush  out  under  Mauser 
fire,  twenty  yards  ahead  of  their  companies,  shouting 
''  Come  on,  men  !"  they  know  their  chances  are  not  one  in 
ten,  for  every  skirmish  results  in  two  or  more  officers 
killed  or  wounded. 

I  have  seen  these  clean-faced,  long-limbed  **  Lion's  cubs  " 
leading  charges,  going  to  certain  death  without  flinching, 
as  though  they  were  but  cheering  a  cricket  match.  While 
I  cannot  but  find  fault  with  a  certain  recklessness  in  their 
manner,  yet  I  must  admit  there  are  no  braver  men  in  all 
the  armies  of  the  world  than  these  .same  aristocratic  British 
officers,  who  frequently  go  into  action  wearing  kid  gloves, 
white  collars  and  a  monocle. 


176 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THROUGH    THE    ENEMY's    LINES    WITH    A    MESSAGE    FOR 
THE    QUEEN. 

AROUND  the  corner  from  the  club  I  found  stabling, 
with  a  butcher,  for  my  horse — the  artillery  animal  I 
had  commandeered  several  days  before  on  the  veldt.  In 
the  next  stall  stood  a  little  mare  which,  on  inquiry,  I  found 
was  for  sale,  the  price  being  fifteen  pounds.  I  went  back 
to  the  club,  where  about  five  o'clock  I  met  Landon,  my 
professional  superior  officer,  who  was  looking  for  me. 

"  How  would  you  like  to  ride  to  Kimberley  to-night  with 
a  despatch  for  The  Times  ?'  "  he  asked  ;  adding,  ''  It  may 
be  dangerous,  and  I  won't  ask  you  to  undertake  it  unless 
you  want  to." 

I  intuitively  knew  that  here  was  an  opportunity  for  ad- 
venture, perhaps  distinction,  and  promptly  answered, 

"  That's  just  what  I  do  want  to  do  ;  how  soon  am  I  to 
start?" 

"  As  soon  as  you  can.  How  are  you  fixed  with  a 
horse  ?" 

I  told  him  of  the  mare,  and  he  handed  me  twenty-five 
pounds. 

''  Be  ready  in  half  an  hour ;  meet  me  at  the  club,  and 
don't  let  anyone  know  you  are  going.  I  have  some  ex- 
clusive news  which  will  be  public  property  to-morrow,  and 
I  want  you  to  get  a  good  start  on  the  others." 

The  half-hour  was  just  sufficient  time  for  me  to  try  the 
mare,  discover  that  she  was  what  I  wanted,  and  that  the 
butcher  could  not  be  beaten  down  a  shilling  in  the  price. 
12  177 


WITH  :'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Then  I  went  to  meet  Landon.  He  took  me  around  the 
corner,  saying  that  he  did  not  want  Gwynne,  of  Renter's 
Agency,  to  see  me  with  a  new  horse  and  suspect  something. 
Then  he  handed  me  the  despatches  and  asked  me  to  take 
them  up  to  the  Presidency  for  Lord  Stanley  to  censor,  and 
then  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible.  Eight  miles  out 
somewhere  I  was  to  meet  ''The  Times"  outfit  and  annex 
an  extra  horse. 

Lord  Stanley  kept  me  waiting  about  ten  minutes,  but 
when  he  came  out  he  pleasantly  asked  why  I  wanted  to 
have  a  message  censored  since  there  was  no  way  of  send- 
ing it.  I  told  him  of  my  intention  of  riding  to  Kimberley 
that  night. 

**  But  you'll  be  shot  or  captured,"  he  said.  "The  out- 
posts guarding  the  line  of  communications  were  all  with- 
drawn after  Driefontein,  the  Boers  have  gotten  in  behind 
us  and  have  cut  the  telegraph  wire,  and  at  this  moment 
even  Lord  Roberts  is  entirely  cut  off  from  communication 
with  the  outside  world.  You  certainly  will  be  unable  to 
get  through  ;  and  as  your  friend,  let  me  advise  you  not  to 
think  of  it." 

I  answered  that  "  The  Times  "  despatch  had  to  go,  and 
that  there  was  no  one  but  I  to  carry  it ;  also,  that  I  was 
in  a  hurry  to  get  off  at  once,  as  soon  as  he  would  censor 
my  papers.  He  rapidly  read  them  over  and  stamped 
them  with  his  seal,  holding  the  papers  up  against  the  wall 
of  the  Presidency ;  then,  as  he  was  about  to  hand  them  to 
me,  he  hesitated  and  said,  ''  I  don't  know  about  this  ;  I 
shall  have  to  consult  the  Chief"  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
he  was  back  again.  ''AH  right,"  he  said,  "you  may  go. 
Here  is  your  despatch,  and  Lord  Roberts  wants  you  to 
take  this  with  you  and  give  it  to  the  telegraph  authorities 
before  any  press  or  private  despatches."  As  he  said  this  he 
gave  me  a  square,  white  envelope,  sealed  and  addressed  to 

178 


THROUGH  THE  ENEMY'S  LIiNES 

the  telegraph  authorities  at  Kimberley  or  Boshof.  Along 
the  top  was  written,  *'  Clear  the  line  ;  must  be  sent  before  all 
press  despatches."  On  the  lower  left-hand  corner  the 
single  word  "Urgent"  was  written,  heavily  underlined, 
and  on  the  lower  right-hand  corner  was  the  single  word, 
*'  Roberts." 

**  In  case  of  my  capture  shall  I  destroy  this,  to  prevent 
the  Boers  from  reading  it?" 

"  No  !  no  !"  answered  Lord  Stanley  quickly  ;  ''you  may 
let  them  read  it,  for  it's  only  the  Field  Marshal's  message 
announcing  the  surrender  of  Bloemfontein,  and  no  doubt 
the  Boers  will  be  glad  to  hear  of  it."  Then,  smiling  at 
his  little  joke,  he  gave  me  his  hand  and  said,  ''Take  care 
of  yourself.  I  hope  you'll  get  through  all  right;  if  you 
do,  let  me  know  as  soon  as  you  get  back."  Then  he  gave 
me  a  private  message  of  his  own,  asking  me  to  run  it  in 
after  the  Field  Marshal's,  and  told  me,  **The  last  news 
we  had  before  the  wire  was  cut  was  that  Boshof  had  been 
captured  by  our  troops.  Use  your  own  judgment  how  to 
ride,  but  you'll  find  Boshof  a  good  deal  nearer." 

I  rode  back  to  the  club,  consulted  Landon,  and  we 
decided  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  try  Boshof,  for  it  was 
certain  that  some  Boer  commandoes  were  between  it  and  us. 
So  as  evening  fell  I  cantered  across  the  square,  up  the  long 
grade  of  Monument  Avenue,  passing  Hutton,  who  was  just 
coming  in  with  the  Lancers  at  the  Basuto  Monument,  and 
then  out  into  the  veldt,  striking  southward  in  the  path  of 
the  army. 

My  main  object,  thus  far,  was  to  get  out  of  the  city  with- 
out attracting  the  attention  of  any  of  the  other  correspond- 
ents. I  succeeded  in  this  at  the  expense  of  neglecting  to 
procure  provisions  for  myself  or  food  for  the  mare,  or 
even  waiting  for  her  to  be  fed.  We  both  started  on  empty 
stomachs.      About  four  miles    out  I   met  a  huge   trek-cart 

179 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

loaded  with  forage.  I  rode  up  to  the  officer  in  charge  and 
asked  him  for  a  bundle.  Of  course  he  refused.  I  then 
told  him  I  was  on  "  special  service,"  and  demanded  two 
bundles.  Again  he  refused.  Then  I  showed  him  Lord 
Roberts'  envelope,  pointing  to  the  words  '' Urgent"  and 
"  Clear  the  line." 

**  This  is  my  authority,"  I  said.      "  Now,  in  the  name  of 


The  Author  in  the  INIarket  Square  at  Bloemfontein,  on  his  return  from  Kim- 
berley  after  carrying  the  Field  Marshal's  despatch  announcing  the  sur- 
render of  Bloemfontein.  The  pony  '*  Cronje  "  was  captured  on  the  veldt 
on  the  return  ride,  and,  together  with  saddle  and  bridle,  was  presented  to 
Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling,  to  use  while  the  author  returned  to  Cape  Town 
for  several  weeks.  As  **  Cronje"  was  only  a  three-year-old,  Mr.  Kipling 
preferred  the  less  glorious  but  more  comfortable  Cape-cart  of  Mr.  Bennet 
Burleigh.     Taken  by  Mr.  Scott  of  "  The  Illustrated  London  News." 


Lord  Roberts  and  the  Queen  Fll  take  two  bundles,  and  you 
can  interfere  or  not,  as  you  see  fit."  With  this  I  coolly 
helped  myself  I  put  the  two  bundles  in  front  of  me  on 
the  saddle  and  rode  on,  the  astonished  officer  evidently 
being  completely  nonplussed  as  to  what  to  do.  Rijiing 
another  mile,  I  halted  and  fed  one  of  the  bundles  to  my 
little  mare,  while  I  fastened  the  other  securely  to  the  saddle. 

i8o 


THROUGH  THE  ENEMY'S  LINES 

It  was  now  getting  late,  and  by  the  time  I  was  in  the 
saddle  the  darkness  was  intense.  By  and  by  I  saw  a  light 
ahead,  which  I  knew  to  be  that  of  Mr.  John  Steyn's  house. 
Almost  at  the  same  time  a  sharp  ''  Halt !  who  goes  there  ?" 
rang  out  from  the  darkness.  I  answered,  **  Friend."  **  Ad- 
vance, friend,  and  give  the  countersign,"  I  advanced  and 
told  the  sentry  I  didn't  know  what  the  countersign  was,  but 
that  I  was  from  Bloemfontein,  on  special  service  for  Lord 
Roberts,  and  wanted  to  get  to  Mr.  Steyn's  house.  He  allowed 
me  to  pass,  but  twice  more  I  was  halted  in  the  same  manner. 
The  last  sentry  turned  me  over  to  his  officer,  who  was  sit- 
ting by  a  fire  close  by.  **  Who  is  in  command  here  ?"  I 
asked  him,  before  he  could  speak.  *'  General  Colville,"  he 
answered.  *'  Have  me  taken  to  him  at  once,  please,"  I 
said,  adding,  "  I  am  on  special  service  for  Lord  Roberts." 

A  dark  figure  led  the  way,  and  in  a  few  moments  I  found 
myself  before  General  Colville's  tent.  By  the  light  of  a 
lantern  he  recognized  me  as  soon  as  I  spoke.  I  told  him 
of  my  mission,  and  asked  entertainment  for  myself  and 
horse,  for  a  rainstorm  was  coming  on.  My  mare  was 
turned  over  to  a  Tommy,  and  General  Colville  led  the  way 
into  Mr.  Steyn's  house,  where  I  was  presented  to  that  gen- 
tleman and  his  wife  ;  then  in  the  back  room  I  had  a  course 
dinner  with  the  General  and  his  staff,  to  whom  I  told  the 
story  of  the  occupation,  and  in  this  way  discharged  in 
some  measure  the  obligation  incurred  when  General  Col- 
ville told  me  the  story  of  the  battle  of  Paardeburg  nearly  a 
month  before. 

It  was  still  raining  when  dinner  was  finished,  and  the 
General  and  his  officers  returned  to  their  tents,  leaving  me 
to  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  Mr.  Steyn  and  his  wife.  In  the 
hope  of  continuing  my  ride  I  sat  up  until  nearly  midnight, 
talking  over  things  with  these  two  relatives  of  the  de- 
posed   President,  who   were  virtually   prisoners    on    their 

l8i 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

own  estate.  Mr.  Steyn  had  publicly  opposed  his  brother's 
policy  of  war  with  England,  and  it  was  due  to  this  that  he 
received  nominal  protection  for  his  property.  Neverthe- 
less, despite  the  many  guards  about  the  place  the  grounds 
were  entirely  stripped  of  trees  and  shrubbery,  the  valued 
acquisitions  of  ten  years  of  care.  I  tried  to  console  Mrs. 
Steyn  by  telling  her  that  in  eighty  miles  to  the  westward 
there  was  only  one  house  that  had  not  been  entirely  looted 
by  the  soldiers,  that  one,  the  home  of  a  German  physician, 
being  protected  by  the  German  flag.  Mrs.  Steyn  was  de- 
cidedly pro-Boer. 

About  midnight  I  sent  for  my  horse,  and  started  on  again 
in  the  light,  drizzling  rain.  Eight  miles  from  the  Steyn 
place  I  was  overtaken  by  a  terrific  downpour  of  rain  and 
compelled  to  take  refuge  under  an  abandoned  transport 
wagon  until  daybreak.  Kimberley  was  now  about  ninety 
miles  distant,  and  in  an  hour  I  found  my  little  mare  was 
not  equal  to  the  task.  About  this  time  I  rode  into  a  small 
herd  of  veldt  ponies,  and  succeeded  in  getting  close  enough 
to  a  little  Basuto  bay  to  lasso  him.  After  carefully 
transferring  the  saddle  and  tying  my  mare  to  it,  I  waited 
until  my  new  acquisition  was  looking  aside  ;  then  I  vaulted 
into  the  saddle,  and  both  of  the  brutes  immediately  ran 
away  with  me.  We  covered  at  least  a  mile  of  veldt  before 
my  feet  found  the  stirrups,  and  four  miles  more  before  I 
got  both  animals  under  control.  I  doubt  if  my  new  pony 
had  ever  been  ridden  before.  Euckily,  instead  of  bucking 
he  merely  ran  away  ;  and,  since  I  managed  to  keep  both 
brutes  in  the  general  direction  of  Kimberley,  I  made  better 
time  as  a  result.  During  the  remainder  of  the  trip  I 
changed  the  saddle  every  five  or  ten  miles,  walking  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  or  more,  at  times,  to  rest  both  horses. 

Shortly  after  noon  I  reached  the  battleground  of  Drie- 
fontein,  where  I  found  the  Sixth  Brigade  field-hospital  en- 

182 


THROUGH  THE  ENEMY'S  LINES 


camped,  having  been  left  behind,  unguarded,  by  Kitchener's 
orders.  A  group  of  officers  were  waiting  for  me,  having 
seen  me  coming  for  several  miles.  The  first  thing  I  heard 
was  that  another  rider  had  passed  by  shortly  before.  From 
his  description  I  knew  it  must  be  Renter's  rider  on  his  way 
to  Kimberley.  I  stopped  long  enough  to  take  some  re- 
freshment while  my  horses  were  watered,  and  then  galloped 
on  with   my  wallets  filled  with  letters,  nearly  one  hundred 


Lord  Roberts  interrupting  his  morning  ride  to  speak  to  a  little 
Boer  girl  on  the  street  at  Bloemfontein. 

having  been  collected  when  I  volunteered  to  carry  some  to 
Kimberley.  Still  more,  my  pockets  were  filled  with  bis- 
cuits, and  I  felt  sure  I  could  catch  up  with  Renter's  man, 
as  he  only  had  one  horse  to  my  two. 

The  wounded  and  convalescent  officers,  including  Mr. 
Scarth  of  the  *'  Manchester  Courier,"  crowded  about  me 
while  I  gave  them  the  full  details  of  the  march  to  and  cap- 
ture of  Bloemfontein.  It  was  quite  evident  that  the  physi- 
cal  disabilities   of  my  hearers  were  entirely  secondary  to 

183 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

their  disappointment  at  being  absent  from  the  front  at  the 
supreme  moment. 

Major  Pike,  who  was  in  command  at  the  hospital  camp, 
gave  me  Httle  encouragement  that  I  would  *'  catch  up  "  with 
my  rival  rider ;  but  on  I  went,  for  if  I  killed  both  horses  in 
doing  it,  Lord  Roberts'  official  message  was  to  get  to  Kim- 
berley  first.  A  few  miles  farther  along  was  a  farmhouse, 
where  I  learned  that  the  other  man  had  left  there  a  few 
moments  before  on  a  fresh  horse — the  last  one  they  had. 

My  chances  looked  bad,  but  on  I  pushed  till  four  o'clock, 
when  I  came  to  the  German  doctor's  place,  where  I  rested 
an  hour  and  had  dinner;  then  off  again,  keeping  both 
horses  at  a  steady  gallop.  A  few  miles  farther  a  friendly 
Kaffir  warned  me  that  a  Boer  commando  was  just  ahead, 
near  the  river.  I  turned  slightly  out  of  its  path,  hoping  to 
get  past  unobserved,  but  from  a  small  kopje  came  the 
'•zing"  of  a  bullet,  followed  by  several  more,  and  the  pop- 
pop  of  rifles.  Two  horsemen  started  to  ride  toward  me ; 
I  turned  abruptly  to  the  left  and  rode  hard  toward  the 
south,  fondly  hoping  that  my  rival  had  been  captured. 
Fortunately  the  pursuit  was  abandoned ;  I  suppose  the 
Boer  scouts  were  riding  very  tired  horses.  I  afterward 
learned  that  the  rival  rider  had  not  been  captured,  but  had 
been  fired  upon  after  he  had  passed  the  commando.  I  got 
safely  away,  and  added  a  dozen  or  more  miles  to  my  jour- 
ney's length.  At  sundown  I  reached  Modder  River,  hav- 
ing still  forty  miles  between  me  and  Kimberley.  By  this 
time  I  had  given  up  hope  of  getting  in  first,  until  it  came 
to  me  as  an  inspiration  that  the  other  man  could  not  pos- 
sibly reach  Kimberley  until  ten  o'clock  that  night,  two  hours 
after  the  telegraph  had  closed  against  the  reception  of  press 
despatches.  This  gave  me  twelve  additional  hours,  provided 
I  could  get  in  by  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  and  manage 
to  file  my  despatches  ahead  of  the  other  man. 

184 


THROUGH  THE  ENEMY'S  LINES 

My  horses  were  by  this  time  becoming  exhausted  ;  the 
most  I  could  do  was  to  keep  them  walking.  Once,  while 
leading  them,  I  fell  into  a  half  doze,  and  roused  myself  to 
find  I  was  leading  only  one  horse  ;  walking  back  half  a 
mile,  I  found  the  other  quietly  eating  by  the  roadside. 
Passing  an  abandoned  farmhouse,  I  found  it  occupied  by 
twenty  or  more  Kaffirs,  who  had  a  number  of  horses  and 
carts  loaded  with  loot ;  but  as  none  of  the  horses  was  worth 
taking,  I  did  not  attempt  to  assert  my  authority  and  take 
advantage  of  the  awe  in  which  they  held  my  khaki  uni- 
form. They  asked  me  if  they  might  be  allowed  to  have 
the  house,  now  that  the  Boer  owners  had  fled.  Knowing 
that  they  would  do  as  they  pleased  after  I  had  left,  and 
until  some  more  potent  authority  turned  them  out,  I 
graciously  granted  them  the  desired  favor ;  they  thanked 
"The  Mahster"  effusively,  and  I  rode  on  feeling  quite 
magnanimous. 

I  kept  going  all  that  night,  and,  with  the  exception  of  my 
short  rest  at  Steyn's  house  and  under  the  cart  on  the  veldt, 
had  been  in  the  saddle  for  two  days  and  two  nights. 
At  dawn  I  found  myself  nearing  Kimberley.  Here  I  passed 
a  huge  trek-cart  drawn  by  twenty  mules,  loaded  with 
merchandise  for  Bloemfontein ;  the  owner,  realizing  the 
need  of  supplies  to  take  the  place  of  those  exhausted  by 
the  long  isolation  of  the  city,  and  that  the  railway  would 
be  some  time  in  reopening,  saw  an  opportunity  to  make  a 
good  speculation  by  getting  in  first.  His  cart  was  hope- 
lessly stuck  in  the  mud  ;  but  I  know,  from  the  situation, 
that  if  he  succeeded  in  getting  in  within  the  week  he  was 
well  paid  for  his  trouble. 

In  the  last  few  miles  of  my  ride  I  suffered  absolute 
agony.  My  back  and  neck  ached  terribly,  my  shoulders 
were  sore  from  the  strain  of  holding  the  lines,  I  was  half 
dazed,  and  was  almost  dead  of  hunger  and  thirst.     It  is 

185 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

natural  to  suppose  that  my  horses  were  suffering  also  ;  but 
on  I  pressed,  reached  the  telegraph  office  by  7  a.m.,  found 
a  clerk  who  had  arrived  early,  presented  my  despatch 
from  the  Field  Marshal,  and  learned  to  my  satisfaction  that 
no  others  from  Bloemfontein  had  preceded  it.  I  filed  Lord 
Stanley's  private  message  immediately  afterward,  and  then 
waited  until  **  The  Times  "  despatch  also  was  on  the  wire. 
Then,  feeling  that  I  had  earned  a  rest,  I  went  to  the  hotel, 
taking  with  me  four  pineapples,  bought  from  a  peddler  on 
the  street,  ate  the  four,  went  to  bed,  and  remained  there 
twenty-four  consecutive  hours. 


186 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A    FULL    LICENSE    AT    LAST. 

THIS  ended  a  week  of  the  hardest  kind  of  riding,  be- 
ginning with  forty  miles  on  the  day  of  Poplar  Grove, 
fifty-five  the  next  day,  resting  at  Kimberely,  then  sixty-four 
miles  back  to  Dreifontein,  then  for  three  days  averaging 
twenty-five  miles  daily,  closing  the  third  day  by  starting  on 
my  one  hundred  and  twenty-five-mile  ride  through  the 
enemy's  lines  with  the  Field  Marshal's  despatch  to  Kim- 
berley,  riding  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  miles  in  the  last 
forty-eight  hours,  and  one  hundred  miles  straight  in  the 
final  twenty- four. 

I  broke  my  long  slumber  in  the  middle  to  take  dinner, 
and  I  spent  the  following  two  days  resting  myself  and 
horses  and  getting  better  acquainted  with  Kimberley,  inci- 
dentally meeting  and  dining  again  with  Lieutenant  Waite, 
the  ''  ranker  "  officer  I  had  entertained  at  the  De  Villiers  farm 
ten  days  before.  Toward  the  evening  of  the  second  day  I 
started  back  for  Bloemfontein,  stopping  at  night  with  the 
officers  of  a  convoy  about  ten  miles  out,  camping  in  a 
looted  farmhouse ;  the  next  night  I  reached  the  German 
farm  and  met  young  Beresford,  who  had  graduated  from 
Roberts'  horse  to  Bennet  Burleigh's  **  Daily  Telegraph  " 
outfit.  He  was  bringing  supplies  up  to  Bloemfontein.  I 
passed  him  the  next  day,  and  at  night  he  again  caught  up 
with  me,  and  we  slept  at  an  Irish  burgher's  shop  or  country 
store,  in  which  a  terrific  downpour  of  rain  had  driven  me 
to  take  refuge. 

Shortly   before,  I    had  stopped  at  a  Boer  farmhouse  to 

187 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

ask  the  way.  A  sweet-faced  girl  of  about  fifteen  stood 
in  the  doorway,  the  lower  half  of  which  was  closed  while 
the  upper  part  swung  open,  the  dark  interior  forming  a 
background  against  which  her  white  dress  and  light  hair 
came  out  finely.      I  asked, — 

''  Are  there  any  Boers  around  here  ?'' 

**  I'm  a  Boer,"  she  answered  quietly. 

**  I  mean  are  there  any  fighting  Boers  ahead  on  the  road, 
who  might  interfere  with  me  if  I  go  on  ?" 

*' Oh,  no,"  she  answered  quaintly  in  her  "book"  Eng- 
lish.     "They  are  all  under  the  English." 

An  old  man  came  out  and  invited  me  to  off-saddle  and 
spend  the  night ;  but  having  learned  of  the  Irishman's  shop, 
I  hurried  five  miles  to  reach  there  before  the  storm,  which 
burst  before  I  had  gone  a  mile,  drenching  me  thoroughly, 
so  that  the  ancient  Hibernian  thought  it  necessary  to  dose 
me  with  hot  water  and  put  me  to  bed  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  tenderly  caring  for  me,  and  as  tenderly  running 
up  a  bill,  by  the  next  morning,  of  twenty  shillings,  which 
made  me  feel  justified  in  "annexing"  a  fine  crash  towel 
from  his  guest-chamber  on  leaving. 

One  of  my  ponies  had  cut  his  foot  soon  after  leaving 
Kimberley.  At  the  German  farm  I  had  exchanged  it  for  a 
new  horse,  giving  the  owner — a  returned  despatch-rider 
from  the  Free  State  army — several  pounds  as  a  bonus.  He 
and  another  brother  had  returned  to  the  farm  in  obedience 
to  Lord  Roberts'  proclamation  promising  immunity  to 
those  who  laid  down  their  arms  and  went  home.  They  plied 
me  closely  with  questions  as  to  the  probable  British  policy 
toward  the  conquered  Free  Staters,  and  openly  lamented 
that  the  Free  State  had  gone  into  the  war  at  all,  saying, 

"Why,  if  we  had  left  the  Transvaal  to  fight  it  out  alone, 
the  English  would  have  bought  all  our  horses  and  cattle 
and  forage,  paying  us  big  prices  for  them  ;  now  they  have 

i88 


A  FULL  LICENSE  AT  LAST 

commandeered  everything  and  we  have  got  nothing  for  it, 
and  may  even  lose  our  farms,  too." 

Beresford  and  I  left  the  Irishman's  shop  together,  each 
taking  two  horses  and  leaving  the  cart  to  follow,  Bloem- 
fontein  being  only  twenty-four  miles  distant.  Half-way  to 
the  city  we  stopped  at  a  farmhouse  and  asked  for  some 
milk.  A  woman,  who  with  two  children  were  the  only 
people  there,  gave  us  a  big  pitcherful  of  cold  milk  and  re- 
fused to  take  payment ;  yet  as  we  left  she  said,  apolo- 
getically, 

"The  retreating  Boers  took  everything  I  had  but  my 
cow ;  I  haven't  even  a  chicken  left.  We  have  nothing  to 
eat  in  the  house,  and,  our  horses  having  been  taken  away,  I 
can't  drive  into  Bloemfontein  to  get  provisions.  Can  you 
give  me  anything?  I  wouldn't  ask  it  for  myself,  but  the 
children  have  had  nothing  but  milk  since  yesterday." 

We  searched  our  pockets  and  wallets,  but  found  only  a 
few  "hardtack"  biscuits,  which  she  gratefully  accepted. 
Beresford  gave  her  a  slip  of  paper  with  an  order  on  the 
driver  of  his  cart,  which  was  soon  to  pass  by,  for  more  pro- 
visions, and  we  hurried  on,  satisfied  that  for  a  few  days  at  least 
she  and  her  children  would  be  provided  for.  I  gave  her  a 
note  to  present  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  first  con- 
voy which  should  pass  that  way,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that 
it  procured  her  further  supplies  from  the  Imperial  transport 
from  Kimberley,  the  officers  of  which  had  been  my  hosts 
the  first  night  after  leaving  that  city. 

It  was  afternoon  when  we  reached  Bloemfontein,  and  I 
rode  directly  to  the  Censor's  office  and  made  my  report  to 
Lord  Stanley.  He  was  much  pleased  with  my  success, 
though  he  was  unable  to  say  whether  the  reopening  of  tele- 
graphic communication  along  the  line  of  the  railway  south- 
ward had  enabled  others  to  beat  me  in  getting  my  message 
off  or  not.      I  took  advantage  of  his   good  humor  to  tell 

189 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

him  that  I  was  leaving  ''The  Times'  "  service  and  desired 
a  full  license  for  myself  He  looked  rather  blank  as  I  said 
this,  so  I  continued, 

"  I  am  only  doing  descriptive  writing,  which  you  do  not 
have  to  read  ;  I  am  not  sending  any  cable  messages,  so 
you  will  not  find  that  granting  me  this  license  involves 
extra  work  for  you." 

He  looked  at  me  a  moment  longer,  then,  as  his  face  re- 
laxed into  a  smile,  he  said, 

"  All  right.  I'll  give  you  a  full  license,  including  tele- 
graphic privileges.      What  are  the  names  of  your  papers?" 

Then  tearing  out  an  official  blank  he  wrote  out  the  license 
I  had  so  long  coveted,  and  put  down  the  names  of  the  "Daily 
Mail,"  of  Graham's  Town,  and  the  Philadelphia  "  Press," 
thus  attaching  me,  independently  of  "  The  Times,"  to  Lord 
Roberts'  staff  as  a  regularly  accredited  war  correspondent, 
with  full  privileges — practically  a  commission  in  the 
Queen's  army,  with  rank  equivalent  to  that  of  a  lieutenant. 
I  thanked  him  and  departed  promptly,  resolving  that  in 
the  future  I  would  obtrude  my  presence  upon  him  as  little 
as  possible,  to  avoid  giving  him  any  cause  to  regret  his 
generosity. 

Leaving  the  office,  I  almost  ran  into  the  arms  of  Landon. 
This  reminded  me  of  our  conversation  on  the  banks  of  the 
Modder  River  at  Paardeburg,  when  he  assured  me  of  the 
utter  futility  of  attempting  to  get  a  pass  or  license,  and  how 
he  told  me  the  story  of  Kipling,  the  American  journalist, 
the  sea-serpent,  and  Westminister  Abbey.  I  triumphantly 
waved  my  new  license  before  his  eyes,  and  reminded  him 
of  our  conversation  on  the  subject.  He  examined  the  license 
carefully,  looked  at  me  blankly  and  muttered,  half  to  him- 
self, "  How  very  extraordinary  !  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me 
understand  how  you  got  it !"  I  left  him  without  explaining 
how  "  the  trick  "  had   been  done  ;  but  as  I  rode  off  to  the 

190 


Form  of  Licence  for  Newspaper  Correspondent^. 
No.  of  Licence,  v/  ^ 

'^:,£A:^.f.^.Z. 

baying  signed  the  Declaration  attached  to  the  Bule«  for  News- 
paper  Correspondents  accompanying  Troops  in  the  Field,  is 


hereby  licensed  to  act  as  Correspondent  for  the  lfhi^-f^^»?^ 
with  the  Force  in.  .k.4^<4U\,  .^^rH^. .  /kCj^^f^:^''. 


dated  at  ..  j 

is  ^^....  day  of . ,  ,<h^^r:hfr^. , 


this  ^C^....  4ay 


Ho   is   authorised   to   draw   Hationi  for  himself  and  one 
servant,  and  forage  for  one  horse  on  payment. 


fiY  ORDEB. 


War  License  issued  to  the  Author  at  Bloenifontein  by  Chief  Press  Censor 

Lord  Stanley. 

191 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

hotel  my  mind  wandered  back  to  the  Modder  River  treks 
and  my  commandeered  or  otherwise  acquired  chickens,  and 
I  reflected  on  the  fact  that,  practically,  by  hanging  on  to 
the  tail  of  a  hen  I  had  scratched  my  way  into  I.ord  Stan- 
ley's favor,  and  thus  found  a  way  to  do  him  and  his  com- 
mander a  service  which  made  his  granting  me  the  desired 
license  a  matter  of  manifest  propriety. 

That  night  I  dreamed  I  saw  the  towers  of  Westminister 
making  a  profound  bow  to  a  very  respectable  and  dignified 
old  hen  standing  alone  out  on  the  veldt ;  and  this  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  vision  of  Lord  Stanley  entertaining  the  Field 
Marshal  and  his  staff  at  a  sumptuous  banquet  under  the 
trees  at  Paardeburg.  After  all,  I  realized  that  the  (sup- 
posedly) most  impregnable  of  "■  English  Institutions  " — the 
Censorship — when  properly  handled,  was  only  as  high  as 
a  chicken  stands  when  dropping  a  fresh  Qgg. 


192 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

TWO    BLOEMFONTEINS. 

AS  already  explained  in  detail,  it  had  happened  to  fall 
to  my  lot  to  make  two  entries  into  the  city  of  Bloem- 
fontein — the  first  on  the  1 3th,  shortly  in  advance  of  Lord 
Roberts  and  his  triumphal  procession,  and  again,  one  week 
later,  on  my  return  from  Kimberley,  by  which  time  the  city 
had  settled  down  to  a  normal  state  under  the  new  conditions. 
The  deeper  impressions  of  my  first  entry  were  of  the  halting 
of  the  troops  at  the  artillery  barracks  while  Lord  Roberts 
personally  superintended  the  stopping  of  the  native  loot- 
ing ;  also,  while  I  rode  in  advance  of  the  column  through 
the  city,  passing  the  small  crowds  at  the  street  crossings,  and 
hearing  their  cheers  for  the  army,  I  could  not  avoid  noticing 
that  there  were  few  men  in  the  streets,  and  that  nearly  all 
the  shops  and  houses  were  closed,  telling  plainly  how  fear- 
ful the  inhabitants  had  been  of  pillage  or  loot.  Occasion- 
ally, from  the  rear  of  a  garden,  a  more  timid  face  was  seen 
peering  out  at  the  passing  troops.  All  this  had  given  the 
city  an  atmosphere  of  fear  and  suspense,  which  was  not  less 
noticeable  because  of  the  more  enthusiastic  reception  by 
the  English  sympathizing  portion  of  the  community.  This 
was  my  impression  of  Bloemfontein  on  the  day  the  British 
entered. 

A  week  later,  the  invading  army  was  in  full  possession 
of  the  city  into  which  I  was  riding.  It  might  have  been 
Cape  Town  or  Kimberley,  for  all  the  difference  discernible 
between  the  khaki-dressed  men  in  the  streets  and  the  per- 
manent residents.  The  city  seemed  to  have  a  smiling, 
13  193 


WITH  "BOBS'*  AND  KRUGER 

wide-open  expression,  contrasting  strongly  with  the  frown- 
ing, closed-up  appearance  of  a  week  before.  The  houses 
seemed  to  have  people  inside  of  them,  and  certainly  many 
were  visible  outside.  Children  played  in  the  streets,  and 
gaily-dressed  ladies  were  going  in  and  out  of  the  shops 
which  only  a  few  days  before  had  been  so  tightly  closed 
and  bolted.  The  tide  of  war  seemed  to  have  drifted  away 
from  me,  and   the  city  had  an  exceedingly  cheerful   and 


Left  Portico  of  the  Raadzaal  Hospital,  showing  the  convalescents  taking  their 
sun-baths.  This  building  was  formerly  the  Parliamentary  meeting-place 
of  the  Orange  Free  State  Government,  and  was  a  building  of  which  the 
Free  Staters  were  very  proud. 

homelike  appearance.  How  this  change  had  been  effected 
I  did  not  know  ;  leaving  on  the  evening  of  its  occupa- 
tion, and  being  absent  an  entire  week  without  hearing  any 
news  whatever,  Iwas  unable  to  foresee  what  the  relation- 
ship between  the  army  and  Bloemfontein  would  be.  But 
the  contrast  between  the  two  periods  was  as  striking  as  a 
sharp  comparison  between  fearsome  anxiety  and  peaceful 
security  could  be,  and  in  a  sort  of  semi-conscious  way  I 

194 


TWO  BLOEMFONTEINS 

found  myself  connecting  the  incident  at  the  artillery  bar- 
racks with  the  present  conditions,  and  noting  how  accu- 
rately it  had  been  a  forerunner  of  what  was  to  befall  the 
city  and  its  inhabitants. 

So  much  for  the  army  and  Bloemfontein.  As  for  the 
capital  itself,  it  is  not  at  all  unlike  scores  of  cities  of  the 
same  size  scattered  through  the  States  of  the  Union  in 
America,  except  for  the  absence  of  electric  cars,  without 
which  no  self-respecting  American  city,  however  diminu- 
tive, can  exist. 

The  great  numbers  of  blacks  in  the  streets  and  the  one- 
story  architecture  of  the  place  lends  a  Southern  States  ap- 
pearance to  Bloemfontein,  similar  to  that  of  many  of  the 
older  cities  of  the  Gulf  States. 

That  Bloemfontein  was  a  metropolis  was  clearly  appar- 
ent, A  centre  of  supplies,  administration  and  social  inter- 
course always  has  unmistakable  external  evidences  to 
indicate  its  character,  whether  the  locality  be  Oriental  or 
Occidental,  whether  the  surrounding  territory  be  large  or 
small.  The  Government  buildings  at  Bloemfontein,  the 
Presidency,  the  club,  the  post-office,  the  stores,  hotels  and 
other  buildings  bordering  the  market  square,  all  partook 
of  this  metropolitan  flavor,  and  served  as  an  entire  refuta- 
tion of  the  anti-Boer  insinuation,  circulated  in  America 
from  British  sources,  that  the  Boers  were  a  rude,  uncul- 
tured and  semi-barbarous  people. 

As  for  the  men  of  Bloemfontein,  the  few  I  met  at  the 
hotels  and  the  club,  and  the  many  I  saw  on  the  street,  had 
the  stamp  of  the  city  man  on  their  faces  and  in  the  cut  of 
their  clothes.  The  usual  garb  was  a  grey  or  brown  suit, 
with  a  soft  felt  hat ;  but  enough  top-hats  and  Prince  Albert 
coats  were  visible  to  show  that  the  professional  and  wealthier 
classes  took  their  styles  from  Piccadilly,  as  did  the  Lon- 
doners and  New  Yorkers. 

195 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Through  all  this,  and  under  the  surface,  I  seemed  to  see 
how  the  future  of  this  fair  little  city  was  lying  in  the  hollow 
of  Lord  Roberts'  palm,  with  his  fingers  grasping  it  tightly, 
indicative  of  the  firm  grasp  England  intended  to  take  on 
the  entire  country.  I  saw  that  the  more  distant  future  of 
the  city  depended  on  the  extension  of  the  railways,  and 
how  it  was  not  at  all  impossible  that  at  some  future  time, 
by  a  single  stroke  of  a  pen,  some  obscure  hamlet  of  the 
Free    State    might    be    declared    a    more    convenient    site 


British  Tommies  digging  a  grave  in  the  Bloemfontein  Cemetery  for  a  com- 
rade, who  died  of  enteric  fever  which  was  prevalent  in  the  camps  about 
the  city. 

for  the  offices  now  located  at  Bloemfontein,  and  rapidly 
grow  into  a  greater  and  grander  city,  leaving  the  old  capi- 
tal to  decay  slowly — decay,  as  have  some  parts  of  our  his- 
tory-lacking America  ;  for  on  our  western  prairies  there 
are  whole  cities  of  tenantless  buildings,  doomed  to  solitude 
and  ruin  because  some  railway  king  decreed  that  '*  The 
line  will  run  thirty  miles  east," — or  *'west." 

I  began  to  feel  an  affection  for  the  little  city  and  its 
people,  and  wanted  to  talk  to  them,  offer  sympathy  on 
their  loss  of  independence,  and  some  gentle  advice  from  a 

196 


TWO  BLOEMFONTEINS 

disinterested  outsider.  I  wanted  to  tell  them  how  the 
future  of  their  city  would  depend  on  the  actions  of  her 
citizens  or  burghers  ;  that  the  sword  had  done  its  work  in 
carving  a  path  for  the  Imperial  army  into  its  heart,  and 
that  now  it  would  remain  for  the  pen  to  hold  in  reserve  a 
more  powerful  destruction  of  the  city's  pride — the  pen, 
more  potent  than  the  sword  to  destroy,  for  it  can  command 
a  decay  from  which  there  is  no  recovery. 

After  all  my  other  memories  of  Bloemfontein  have 
passed  away,  I  think  I  shall  continue  to  hear,  when  its 
name  is  mentioned,  the  almost  chant-like  singing  of  **  The 
Soldiers  of  The  Queen  "  by  the  Lancers,  as  they  headed 
the  column  marching  up  Monument  Avenue,  and,  after- 
ward, the  great  outburst  of  **  God  Save  the  Queen  !"  when 
the  Union  Jack  was  raised  at  the  Presidency.  I  think,  if 
this  national  anthem  could  be  more  often  heard,  the  ene- 
mies of  Great  Britain  would  be  drawn  more  closely  to  that 
grand  old  country. 

Something  like  the  above  appeared  in  **  The  Friend,"  the 
local  newspaper,  which,  by  request  of  Lord  Roberts,  was 
being  edited  by  a  committee  of  the  war  correspondents. 
Landon  was  chairman  of  the  committee,  and  asked  me  to 
write  something  for  *' The  Friend"  ''from  an  American's 
point  of  view."  While  at  the  club  I  wrote  off  my  ''im- 
pressions," consigned  my  newest  acquisition  in  horseflesh 
— the  pretty  little  black  pony,  barely  four  years  old,  traded 
for  at  the  German  farm — to  Landon' s  care  until  the  next 
week,  read  in  ''The  Friend"  that  Kipling  was  coming  to 
Bloemfontein,  and  wrote  a  short  note,  offering  him  the  use 
of  my  horse  while  I  was  away,  consigning  the  note  also  to 
Landon.  Then  I  went  to  Cape  Town  to  see  Emery,  draw 
my  first  month's  salary,  get  my  back  letters  from  America, 
and  procure  a  new  camera  to  take  the  place  of  the  one  I 
had  been  forced  to  sell  five  weeks  before. 

197 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

The  trip  took  two  days  ;  but,  unfortunately,  I  passed  the 
•interesting  places  along  the  line  at  night,  thus  failing  to  see 
them.  Cape  Town,  however,  was  full  of  interest.  I  was 
now  able  to  look  over  the  place  with  the  eye  of  prosperity, 
to  talk  to  my  old  friend  Colonel  Stowe  from  a  new  level, 
and  to  receive  his  hearty  congratulations  on  my  success 
with  pride  and  gratification  well  worth  the  effort  required 
to  earn  it. 

Mr.  Amery  wrote  out  a  big  check  for  me,  which  I  cashed 
in  half  an  hour,  and  then  felt  indeed  like  a  South  African 
magnate.  New  clothes  had  to  be  procured,  and  tailors 
worked  by  night,  at  extra  rates,  to  get  me  fitted  out.  Din- 
ners were  eaten,  at  which  I  paid  for  other  plates  than  my 
own  ;  in  short,  a  sense  of  ease,  comfort  and  luxury,  and  of 
the  wherewithal  to  pay  liberally  for  all  these,  was  very  de- 
lightful to  me,  and  for  a  few  days  I  revelled — that  is,  in  a 
mild  sort  of  way  ;  no  dissipations  included.  Soon  some 
imp  of  darkness  persuaded  me  that  I  needed  a  typewriter ; 
so  one  was  purchased. 

Then  I  negotiated  a  new  deal,  fearful  and  wonderful  in 
its  nature.  A  certain  photographer  sent  out  by  an  Ameri- 
can firm  at  great  expense  had  failed  to  get  to  the  front. 
For  a  month  he  had  vegetated  at  Cape  Town,  waiting  for 
me  to  come  back,  a  certain  mutual  friend  having  whispered 
that  I  might  be  induced  to  take  him  with  me  in  the  nominal 
capacity  of  servant,  for  my  pass  provided  for  an  attendant. 
Several  letters  on  the  subject  had  been  mailed  to  me,  one 
of  which  found  me  at  Osfontein.  On  leaving  Bloemfon- 
tein  I  had  taken  the  precaution  to  secure  the  proper  passes 
to  bring  this  possible  servant  up  to  the  front  on  my  return. 
We  negotiated  and  negotiated,  and  finally  reached  the  con- 
tract stage,  with  witnesses  and  seals  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  Condensed,  the  import  of  a  certain  slip  of  paper 
was  that  a  certain  American  photographer  representing  an 

198 


TWO  BLOEMFONTEINS 

American  firm  at  great  expense  was  to  accompany  me  as 
my  servant.  My  **  servant  "  was  to  pay  me  the  sum  of 
two  hundred  dollars  per  month  and  all  my  expenses  for 
the  privilege  of  being  my  servant.  On  the  other  hand,  I 
was  to  put  my  servant  in  such  places  as  would  secure  for 
his  American  firm  the  best  returns  in  photographic  plates 
exposed  at  scenes  at  the  front.  This  contract  could  be  dis- 
solved at  any  moment  by  mutual  consent,  and  by  the  pay- 
ment of  the  servant   to  me,  his  master,  of  the  sum  of  two 


Funeral  Procession  of  a  Gordon  Highlander  entering  the  Bloemfontein  Ceme- 
tery. The  body  is  being  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four  of  the  High- 
landers, and  is  wrapped  in  a  Union  Jack.  The  view  beyond  is  a  five- 
mile  stretch  of  veldt  south  of  the  city,  across  which  Lord  Roberts  made 
his  final  march  and  entry  into  the  city. 

hundred  dollars  and  expenses  to  date.  The  servant  was 
incidentally  to  provide  for  our  transportation  while  we  were 
on  the  march,  and  to  purchase  horses  and  carts  and  hire 
extra  servants,  etc.,  all  at  his  own  expense.  A  peculiar 
arrangement.  To  maintain  good  faith  with  Lord  Stanley 
the  American  photographer  was  also  to  manipulate  a  camera 
for  my  benefit,  becoming  my  photographer. 

Lord  Stanley  made  no  objection  to  this  plan,  and  on  my 
request   was  about  to  give   me  a  separate  license  for   "  my 

199 


WITH   "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


photographer,"  when  said  servant-photographer  entered  into 
a  new  deal  with  another  correspondent  with  photographic 
privileges,  cancelled  the  contract,  and  paid  me  in  full,  with 
expenses.  Our  peculiar  negotiations  consumed  some  time, 
bringing  us  both  back  to  Bloemfontein,  where  we  parted  com- 
pany, I  being  richer  by  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  ac- 
quired easily  enough  in  less  than  a  week  with  the  expendi- 
ture of  little  more  than  some  surplus  grey  matter  and  the 


Dr.  Conan  Doyle,  as  the  author  found  him  at  his  tent  in  the  Polo  Grounds, 
where  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Langman  P'ield  Hospital.  A  character- 
istic pose  of  the  creator  of  "  Sherlock  Holmes." 

risk  of  incurring  the  displeasure  of  certain  stern  authorities. 
Still,  no  mishap  occurred,  and  the  conclusion  of  the  deal 
placed  me  in  the  enviable  position  of  a  ''  Free  Lance  "  war 
correspondent,  well  mounted,  uniformed,  provisioned,  and 
supplied  with  about  three  hundred  dollars  in  American 
money — sufficient  to  keep  me  going,  with  economy,  for 
several  months,  and  yet  leave  enough  to  get  me  back  to 
the  States  via  the  cattle-steamer  route.  But  I  did  not  in- 
tend to  stop  with  this  amount.      My  American  letters  had 

200 


TWO  BLOEMFONTEINS 

brought  me  one  return  in  the  shape  of  credentials  from  a 
small  paper  and  a  draft  on  London  for  ten  pounds.  Then 
**The  Times"  was  to  continue  my  services  at  the  old  rates, 
and  my  Colonial  Syndicate  might  be  worked  into  renewed 
Hfe,  with  its  thirty  pounds  per  month.  This  last  failed ; 
the  papers  had  made  other  arrangements,  and  the  syndicate 
had  fallen  apart.  Lord  Stanley  vetoed  my  first  attempt  to 
do  work  for  **  The  Times  "  on  the  score  that,  as  I  was  now 
an  independent  correspondent,  it  would  be  manifestly  unfair 
to  other  papers  for  **  The  Times  "  to  employ  an  extra  cor- 
respondent. He  offered  to  allow  me  to  carry  despatches 
for  "The  Times"  if  I  cared  to  surrender  my  license  ;  but 
this  was  not  to  my  way  of  thinking,  so  I  was  left  alone, 
even  my  salary-paying  servant  having  deserted  me.  Indeed, 
I  had  little  else  but  money  at  this  time.  Mr.  Kipling  had 
passed  me  on  his  way  back  to  Cape  Town.  He  had  not 
used  my  four-year-old,  having  preferred  to  drive  about  with 
Bennet  Burleigh  in  an  ingloriously  comfortable  Cape-cart. 

So  with  my  typewriter  and  my  experiences  I  settled  down 
in  a  modest  boarding-house,  on  the  main  street,  to  study 
the  atmosphere  of  the  Free  State  and  its  capital,  and  write 
reams  of  copy  for  my  American  papers,  **  to  be  paid  for  if 
used." 


201 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

KIPLING    AGAIN,    AND    SOME    BLOEMFONTEIN    ITEMS. 

AFTER  a  few  days  I  decided  to  go  back  to  Cape  Town 
again.  Lord  Stanley  asked  me  to  take  care  of  a 
package  of  relics  and  souvenirs  which  he  wanted  me  to 
forward  to  England  for  him,  and  this,  with  a  few  other  com- 
missions for  friends,  was  sufficient  excuse  for  me  to  make 
the  trip.  I  intended  to  make  a  stay  of  only  two  days. 
On  my  first  night  in  the  city  the  manager  of  a  local  theatre 
called  on  me  at  my  hotel  and  said  that,  having  seen  my 
arrival  noted  in  the  evening  paper,  he  had  called  to  ask 
whether  I  would  consider  a  proposition  to  lecture  on  the 
war.  We  talked  over  details,  and  I  agreed  to  prepare  a 
lecture,  while  he  made  the  arrangements  for  its  delivery  in 
Cape  Town  and  elsewhere.  The  next  afternoon  I  was 
walking  up  Adderly  Street,  when  I  came  face  to  face  with 
a  little  man  in  a  black  suit.  He  had  very  heavy  black  eye- 
brows, and  wore  spectacles.  Yes,  it  was  Kipling,  who, 
according  to  the  papers,  had  sailed  for  England  the  day 
before.  Mr.  Kipling  knew  me  at  once,  and  after  a  friendly 
greeting  inquired  after  my  pony,  and  thanked  me  for  the 
offer  of  its  services.  Then  he  invited  me  to  walk  along  up 
to  the  Mount  Nelson  Hotel  with  him,  while  I  made  an  effort 
to  express  my  appreciation  of  what  he  had  done  for  me 
with  "The  Times."  He  seemed  pleased  that  his  recom- 
mendation had  proved  so  efficacious,  and  listened  atten- 
tively to  my  tale  up  to  the  climax  of  my  carrying  Lord 
Roberts'  despatch  to  Kimberley.  Arriving  at  the  hotel,  we 
sat  down   together  for   an  hour  or  two,  while   I   absorbed 

202 


KIPLING  AND  BLOEMFONTEIN  ITEMS 

great  quantities  of  wisdom  from  his  store  of  experiences  and 
observation,  for  he  gave  me  freely  of  the  same ;  and  although 
I  knew  I  was  to  him  only  another  human  **  specimen,"  I 
felt  none  the  less  flattered  by  the  attention.  One  of  the  first 
things  he  asked  me  was, 

''  Well,  did  you  find  plenty  of  good  material  to  write 
up?" 

Enthusing  at  once,  I  replied, 

*'  My  goodness,  yes  ;  why,  you  can't  understand  how 
much — " 

''What's  that?"  interrupted  Mr.  Kipling. 

Realizing  that  I  was  making  a  mistake,  I  spluttered , 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon.      I  mean — " 

"  Well,  you'd  better,"  he  again  interrupted  ;  "  this  is  just 
the  time  you  are  up  against  the  fellow  who  can  understand," 
and  he  chucked  with  amusement  at  my  confusion. 

I  recovered  and  "  went  back  at  him  "  again,  and  got  him 
talking  about  the  attitude  of  the  American  press,  which  at 
that  time  was  quite  sarcastic  at  England's  expense.  "  They 
are  acting  perfectly  beastly,"  he  said.  "I  hope  in  your 
letters  you  are  taking  the  right  side  of  things,  and  telling  the 
readers  of  your  papers  the  truth  about  this  war." 

I  said  I  was  trying  to,  but  I  admitted  my  inability  to  suc- 
cessfully impress  so  capricious  an  audience  as  the  American 
people,  and  asked  for  a  few  suggestions. 

"Why,"  he  said,  "get  them  to  understand  what  these 
Boers  really  are.  Tell  them  that  if  they  can  imagine  Tam- 
many Hall  backed  up  by  cannon  and  Mausers  they'll  know 
what  the  South  African  Republics  are  like." 

Then  he  told  me  a  story  of  an  experience  he  had  at 
Bloemfontein  which  well  illustrates  how  conscious  he  is, 
and  what  a  keen,  boyish  delight  he  takes  in  being  himself. 
While  driving  with  Bennet  Burleigh  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  firing-line  at  the  Glen,  his  unmilitary  appearance — he 

203 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


wore  a  grey  suit  and  a  straw  hat — attracted  the  attention 
of  a  sentinel,  who  promptly  challenged  him.  Mr.  Kipling 
gave  his  name,  but  the  doubting  Thomas  still  hesitated 
about  letting  him  pass,  when  Kipling  broke  out  impatiently 
with,      "  Why,  you  ungrateful  beggar,  is  this  the  way  you 


A  War  Artist  and  Correspondent  waiting  to  photograph  "Bobs"  at  the 
Presidency  at  Bloemfontein  when  the  Field  Marshal  takes  his  morning 
ride.  The  artist- correspondent  is  Mr.  Dinwiddle  of  "  Harper's  Weekly,' ' 
on  his  way  home  from  the  Philippines,  and  not  Mr.  Kipling,  for  whom 
he  is  frequently  taken. 

treat  me  after  all  I've  done  for  you  ?"  In  the  words  of  Mr. 
Kipling,  as  he  told  this  story,  "  Then  the  stupid  Tommy  saw 
that  it  really  was  I  and  saluted  and  let  me  pass."  Mr. 
Kipling  had  previously  explained  that,  as  he  should  have 
been  challenged  some  eight  miles  back,  it  was  hardly  worth 

204 


KIPLING  AND  BLOEMFONTEIN  ITEMS 

while  doing  so  now ;  but  it  was  not  until  he  gave  expres- 
sion to  his  feelings  in  this  characteristic  manner  that  the  de- 
sired effect  on  the  interfering  Mr.  Atkins  was  produced. 

Another  time,  while  Kipling  was  wandering  about  camp 
in  search  of  a  certain  Tommy  to  whom  he  was  carrying  a 
pair  of  rubber  boots  entrusted  to  him  by  the  said  Tommy's 
tentmate,  he  was  stopped  by  an  officious  private,  who  wanted 
to  march  him  off  to  the  guard-tent.  Mr.  Kipling  gave  his 
name,  which,  either  because  of  the  private's  ignorance  or 
obstinacy,  failed  to  produce  the  usual  magical  effect. 

At  this  critical  moment  a  non-commissioned  officer  who 
had  known  Mr.  Kipling  at  Aldershot  approached,  and 
courteously  asked, 

''  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Kipling ;  "I  want  this  man  taken 
off  and  shot.  Do  you  understand  ?  I  want  him  shot,  and 
I  want  it  done  right  away."  The  objectionable  man  was 
removed  ;  but  as  Mr.  Kipling  said  regretfully,  when  speak- 
ing of  the  incident,  "  I  really  am  afraid  they  didn't  shoot 
him,  after  all." 

I  told  Mr.  Kipling  of  my  proposed  lecture  tour,  which 
he  said  was  "a.  good  thing."  I  showed  him  some  of  the 
photographs  I  had  taken,  which  he  said  were  "no  good." 
They  were  the  pride  of  my  heart,  but  I  thanked  him  for 
his  candor,  and  then  listened  humbly  to  further  words  of 
wisdom.  He  seemed  to  think  me  worthy  soil,  so  he  en- 
deavored to  plant  the  seeds  of  Anglo-Americanism  iia  my 
brain.  He  pointed  out  to  me  the  common  identity  of  in- 
terest and  destiny  of  the  two  nations,  and  by  successfully 
impressing  on  me  the  fact  that  Anglo-Americanism  was  not 
only  **  the  coming  thing,"  but  *' the  greatest  coming  thing 
of  the  twentieth  century,"  he  all  but  enlisted  my  humble 
services  in  its  interest. 

Then  he  appealed  to  my  selfishness,  and  showed  me  how 

205 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


it  would  help  me  in  my  career  if  I  would  take  up  the 
matter,  make  it  my  hobby,  and  give  the  world  some 
evidence  that  I  had  done  so.  That  clinched  the  matter, 
and  I  gave  him  my  hand  and  promised  that  from  that  mo- 
ment I  would  be  a  decided  Anglo-American  maniac  ;  but 
I  reserved  the  privilege  of  retaining  any  pro-Boer  sympa- 
thies which  future  events  or  Americanism  asserting  itself  in 
the  subject  might  cause  to  grow.  Mr.  Kipling  admitted 
that  the  Boer  question  was,  after  all,  only  a  minor  affair  in 

comparison  with  the 
great  questions  of  vital 
interest  to  both  America 
and  England  which  the 
coming  century  might 
develop.  After  exchang- 
ing my  wish  that  he 
might  have  a  pleasant 
voyage  home  for  his 
hope  that  my  success 
would  continue  as  it  had 
started,  I  left  Mr.  Kip- 
ling, thoroughly  con- 
vinced by  him  of  the 
truly  great  common  des- 
tiny of  the  English- 
speaking  races,  their  Christian  civilization  to  be  aided  in 
the  more  distant  future  by  two  powerful  allies — Germany 
and  that  Asiatic  England,  plucky  little  Japan. 

While  at  Cape  Town  I  witnessed  the  presentation  by  the 
officers  of  the  corporation  of  Cape  Town  of  an  address  to 
Sir  George  White,  the  hero  of  Ladysmith. 

The  presentation  took  place  in  the  Good  Hope  Hall,  de- 
lightfully situated  in  the  Municipal  Gardens,  picturesque 
and  fragrant,  noticeably  so  after  a  month   on   the   barren 

206 


The  Mayor  of  Cape  Town  and  other  dig- 
nitaries entering  the  Good  Hope  Gar- 
dens to  present  Sir  George  White  with 
a  Complimentary  Address  on  his  rehef  at 
Ladysmith.   Taken  by  E.  V.  H.  Melville. 


KIPLING  AND  BLOEMFONTEIN  ITEMS 


veldt.  The  hall  was  gayly  decorated  with  flowers  and 
bunting,  the  Stars  and  Stripes  hanging  conspicuously  im- 
mediately over  and  in  front  of  the  platform. 

While  a  band  played  softly,  the  Mayor  and  other  officers 
entered,  His  Honor  resplendent  with  ermine  and  purple, 
preceded  by  a  sergeant-at-arms  bearing  a  huge  gilt  mace. 

On  the  arrival  of  Sir  George  the  procession  met  him  at 
the  door  and  escorted  him  to  the  platform,  while  the 
crowds  within  and  without  cheered  themselves  hoarse. 
General  White  responded  by  bowing,  and  the  cheering  was 
prolonged.  During  the 
Mayor's  speech  and  the 
reading  of  the  address 
by  the  town  clerk,  the 
General  was  visibly  af- 
fected. 

His  recent  illness  was 
apparent,  his  eyes  being 
hollow  and  his  cheeks 
fallen  in,  while  from 
time  to  time  the  muscles 
of  his  chin  quivered 
slightly. 

When  he  arose  to 
reply,  however,  all  traces  of  weakness  disappeared  ;  he  was 
once  more  the  strong,  erect  General  who  so  bravely  de- 
fended and  sustained,  through  the  long,  weary  siege,  the 
inhabitants  of  Ladysmith. 

Immediately  after  the  occupation  of  Bloemfontein,  on  the 
13th  of  March,  there  was  practically  a  suspension  of  all 
operations,  while  the  army  took  a  much-needed  rest,  and 
got  ready  for  the  more  difficult  task  ahead,  which  the  ad- 
vance toward  Kronstadt  and  across  the  Vaal  River  pre- 
sented.     While,  luckily  for  the    English  army,  a  number 

207 


General  Sir  George  White  driving  from  the 
Good  Hope  Gardens  after  receiving  the 
Address  of  the  Cape  Town  Corporation. 
Taken  by  E.  V.  H.  Melville. 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

of  engines,  trucks  and  carriages  were  secured  when  Bloem- 
fontein  was  taken,  making  possible  the  reopening  of  rail- 
way communication  to  the  Orange  River,  where  the  Cape 
Colony  line  meets  it  on  the  other  side,  yet  the  destruction 
of  two  spans  of  the  railway  bridge  at  this  point  by  the  re- 
treating Boers  delayed  the  sending  of  necessary  supplies 
for  many  weeks,  until  the  new  structure  was  completed. 
Meanwhile,  Lord  Roberts  and  his  staff  of  assistants  issued 
a  variety  of  proclamations  to  the  Free  Staters,  promising 
all  sorts  of  things  if  they  would  go  back  to  their  farms 
and  be  good.      Of  course,  they  had  to  give  up  their  arms. 

One  day  I  drifted  into  the  grounds  of  the  Government 
Building  and  saw  a  non-commissioned  officer  and  two 
privates  receiving  and  recording  the  guns,  as  the  reluctant 
but  fearful  Free  Staters  brought  them  in.  They  were 
mostly  sporting  rifles,  some  very  handsome,  and  their 
owners  gave  them  up  with  many  questionings  as  to  when 
they  might  hope  to  get  them  back.  It  is  needless  to  add 
that  very  little  satisfaction  on  that  score  was  given. 

Some  touching  incidents  in  connection  with  this  occurred. 
One  white-haired  old  Free  Stater  brought  in  a  handsome 
sporting  Mauser  rifle,  a  present  from  his  wife,  and  piteously 
begged  with  tears  in  his  eyes  to  be  allowed  to  retain  only  a 
part  of  his  treasure,  giving  up  sufficient  parts  of  the  mechan- 
ism to  render  the  rifle  useless.  The  appeal  was  in  vain,  and 
the  old  fellow  sadly  left  the  grounds.  My  sympathy  was 
somewhat  tempered  when  I  noticed  a  number  of  dum-dum 
cartridges  in  the  case. 

Active  campaigning  having  temporarily  come  to  an  end, 
the  tireless  staff  of  war  correspondents  which  accompanied 
Lord  Roberts  directed  their  energies  to  the  editing  of  the 
official  organ  at  Bloemfontein,  *'  The  Friend."  Mr.  Percival 
Landon  of  "The  Times,"  Mr.  E.  W.  Buxton  of  the  *'  Daily 
Telegraph,"  and  Mr.  H.  A.  Gwynne  of  Renter's,  were  the 

208 


KIPLING  AND  BLOEMFONTEIN  ITEMS 

editing  committee.  Early  numbers  soon  became  unobtain- 
able, so  great  was  the  demand  for  "  The  Friend,"  which  for 
the  time  boasted  of  the  most  distinguished  staff  of  con- 
tributors in  the  whole  world,  considering  that  the  entire 
staff  of  war  correspondents  with  Lord  Roberts  were  pressed 
into  its  service.  With  articles  from  the  pens  of  such  men 
as  Bennet  Burleigh,  our  own  Julian  Ralph,  and  Rudyard 
Kipling  in  its  pages,  no  one  will  dispute  this  statement. 
On  March  17th  Mr.  Kipling  wired  the  following  lines  from 
Cape  Town.  He  afterward  went  to  Bloemfontein  and  took 
an  active  part  in  the  editing  of  the  paper. 

"  Oh,  Terence,  dear,  and  did  you  hear 
The  news  that's  going  round  ? 
The  Shamrock's  Erin's  badge  by  law, 
Where'er  her  sons  be  found. 

"  From  Bobsfontein  to  Ballyhock, 
'Tis  ordered  by  the  Queen, 
We've  won  our  right  in  open  fight, 
The  wearing  of  the  green." 

Upon  the  occupation  of  Bloemfontein  a  large  number  of 
the  Orange  Free  State  stamps  were  discovered,  and  the  Im- 
perial Government  at  once  appropriated  them  for  use,  sur- 
charging them  with  the  letters  V.  R.  I.  Some  of  these 
issues,  which  had  already  nearly  run  out,  were  immediately 
bought  up  by  collectors,  and  soon  reached  absurd  values. 
The  craze  grew,  and  rapidly  spread  through  the  rank-and- 
file  of  the  army,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  a 
Tommy  and  a  staff  officer  side  by  side  in  the  post-office, 
artistically  pasting  stamps  a  dozen  times  in  value  more  than 
necessary  on  letters  for  home. 

I  have  personally  given  but  little  attention  to  this  sub- 
ject, because  of  my  entire  ignorance  of  such  matters, 
but  I  can  give  collectors  one  or  two  hints.  The  surcharged 
sixpenny  stamp  will  bring  the  best  price,  especially  if  it  is 
^4  209 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

one  in  which  the  periods  after  the  letters  have  been  omitted. 
This  also  applies  to  all  the  other  issues. 


I!iiliiiyilll!jij}jjl}ll}illiyill!] 


Editorial  page  of  "The  F'riend,"   containing  contributions  by  Dr.  Conan 
headquarters. 


Another  thing  :  only  a  limited  number  of  issues  were 
legally  surcharged  ;  there  are  some  of  obsolete  issues  the 
holders  of  which   have  had  privately  surcharged,  with  the 

2  lO 


KIPLING  AND  BLOEMFONTEIN  ITEMS 

intention  of  creating  rare  stamps  of  great  value.      It  is  need- 
less to  add  that  an  accurate  record  of  these  surchargings 


II 


iifi.iiilikjji 


niUHUthmmmknuukmudmiMmmiiMM: 


I  111 


Doyle,  the  author,  and  other  war  correspondents  attached  to  Lord  Roberts' 


has  been  kept  by  the  authorities,  which  will  be  published  in 
due  time,  and  all  frauds  exposed.      Collectors  will  do  well 
to  exercise  caution  in  buying  from  dealers  and  others. 
While  the  English  undoubtedly  treated  the  Free  Staters 


211 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

very  generously  at  first,  with  a  view  of  conciliating  them 
as  much  as  possible,  yet  these  conquered  burghers  were 
by  no  means  reconciled  to  their  lot.  One  of  them  accom- 
panied me  to  my  hotel  from  the  club  one  night,  and  talked 
over  his  and  his  fellow-burghers'  woes  until  the  early  hours. 
It  was  very  pathetic  to  hear  his  expressions  of  distress  at 
seeing  the  victorious  British  filling  the  streets,  hotels  and 
club.  His  mixture  of  excuse  and  censure  of  the  retreating 
army,  which  had  allowed  his  city  to  so  easily  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  was  touching,  and  I  came  to  realize 
that,  while  officers  and  correspondents  had  been  writing 
home  in  glowing  phrase  of  **the  unparalleled  leniency  of 
the  generous  victor,"  we  had  entirely  overlooked  the  fact 
that  every  blade  of  grass  or  shrub-leaf  which  our  horses, 
tethered  on  the  club  lawn,  consumed,  unnoticed  by  us,  was 
duly  noted  and  recorded  by  the  native  club  members  as  an 
instance  of  the  enemy's  disregard  for  their  rights. 

The  semi-barbarous  strains  of  the  Highland  bagpipe 
bands  grate  harshly  on  the  musical  ear  of  the  Free  Stater, 
while  the  hilarious  shouting  in  the  streets  at  night  of 
"Tommy  on  leave"  fills  honest  burgher  hearts  with  un- 
speakable bitterness,  all  the  more  consuming  because  of 
its  necessary  suppression. 

It  was  a  dark  day  in  Bloemfontein  when  Lord  Roberts 
rode  into  the  little  city  ;  and  while  loyal  British  subjects 
throughout  that  vast  empire  were  shouting  "  Hurrah  for 
Bobs,"  and  joyously  singing  **  God  Save  the  Queen,"  there 
were  sad  hearts  and  tears  in  Bloemfontein. 

One  day  while  riding  about  the  camps  I  found  myself 
at  the  headquarters  of  Roberts'  horse,  the  famous  mounted 
regiment  of  irregulars  named  after  the  Field  Marshal. 
Some  two  months  before,  while  Cronje  was  still  in  laager  at 
Paardeburg,  an  officer  of  B  squadron  of  this  regiment  had 
mistaken  me  for  a  Boer,  and  sent  out  a  squad  of  men  to 

212 


KIPLING  AND  BLOEMFONTEIN  ITEMS 

arrest  me.  On  displaying  my  license  I  became  the  ofifi- 
cer's  guest  for  the  night,  and  rode  away  the  next  morning 
considerably  enriched  by  a  part  of  the  spoils  of  war  taken 
by  him  the  preceding  day.  This  same  officer  received  me 
again,  and,  remembering  that  I  was  an  American,  intro- 
duced me  to  Lieutenant  J.  S.  Bradshaw,  of  Philadelphia, 
who   had  been   Sergeant   of  Mounted    Police   in  the  25th 


One  of  the  broken  spans  of  the  great  ^2,500,000  bridge  across  the  Orange 
River  at  Nerval's  Poont.  This  Bridge  was  blown  up  with  dynamite  and 
gun-cotton  by  the  Boers  when  General  Gatacre  advanced  to  the  border 
of  the  Free  State. 


District  when  cabled  to  by  Lord  Roberts  to  meet  him  at 
Cape  Town.  Mr.  Bradshaw  immediately  invited  me  to  a 
"Pink  Tea,"  which  his  mess  was  giving  that  same  evening, 
and  I  as  promptly  accepted.  The  regiment  was  luxuriously 
quartered  in  a  new  row  of  brick  buildings  intended  for  the 
leper  settlement,  but  which,  fortunately,  had  not  yet  been 
occupied. for  that  purpose.  The  pink  tea  was  held  in  a 
large   flagstone-paved  room,  with  biscuit-boxes  for  chairs 

213 


WITH   "BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

and  a  dissecting-table  to  hold  the  really  sumptuous  repast 
which  Bradshaw's  ''  French  chef^''  a  Yorkshire  Tommy, 
served  up.  We  had  soup,  made  from  a  condensed  mixture, 
unnamable,  but  appetizing  ;  then  some  tinned  fish,  whose 
origin  was  somewhat  obscure  ;  followed  by  a  turkey,  which 
an  obliging  trooper  had  risked  sixty  days'  imprisonment 
to  secure;  then  a  roast,  the  choicest  part  of  a  huge  ox, 
slaughtered  only  that  morning  for  the  regiment.  How 
Bradshaw  had  managed  to  secure  the  whiskey  and  claret  I 
can't  guess  ;  but  there  it  was  in  generous  quantities,  and  no 
one  was  rude  enough  to  insinuate  **  annexation."  The  dis- 
tinguished guests  were  Captain  Rogers  of  the  First  Canadian 
contingent,  and  the  famous  Canadian  scout,  Charley  Ross 
(not  of  kidnapping  fame),  who,  to  my  great  delight,  turned 
out  to  be  an  old  Klondyker  whom  I  had  known  in  Alaska. 
We  got  to  bed,  rolled  up  in  blankets  on  the  stone  floor, 
sooner  than  was  to  be  expected,  for  the  programme  in- 
cluded springbok  shooting  the  next  morning  ;  this,  how- 
ever, was  abandoned  when  the  early  dawn  showed  up  grey 
and  cold  through  a  dreary  rain  which  continued  to  pour 
down  steadily  all  day  long,  while  the  survivors  of  the  pink 
tea  contested  the  ownership  of  certain  red,  white  and  blue 
beans  by  the  aid  of  a  very  dirty  pack  of  cards. 


214 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    FREE    STATE    GIRLS. 

LORD  ROBERTS  rested  his  army  for  six  weeks  at 
Bloemfontein,  re-outfitting  it  and  moving  his  base  of 
supplies  to  it  from  Cape  Town.  A  number  of  serious  fights 
occurred  in  the  surrounding  territory,  culminating  in  a 
concerted  movement  of  several  divisions  to  drive  the  re- 
maining commandoes  out  of  the  Free  State  entirely,  prior 
to  the  general  advance  northward.  The  first  few  I  missed 
seeing,  and  very  fortunately  for  me,  for  they  were  British 
reverses.  The  general  movement  included  me,  and  brought 
me  quite  as  close  to  superlative  experiences  as  I  care  to  be. 
Between  times  I  lived  quietly  and  economically,  taking  one 
meal  each  day  at  the  principal  hotels  or  the  club-house,  in 
order  to  keep  in  touch  with  things,  or  riding  out  among 
the  camps  and  outposts,  or,  to  a  limited  extent,  mingling 
with  the  social  life  of  the  burghers  and  their  families. 

As  through  the  crack  of  a  nearly-closed  door,  I  was  able 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  beautiful  ante-bellum  conditions  of 
life  in  the  Free  State.  The  population  of  the  city  of  Bloem- 
fontein was  only  four  or  five  thousand,  with  about  five  hun- 
dred white  males  of  voting  age  and  with  burgher  privileges. 
The  country  is  surrounded  by  a  native  nation,  with  whom- 
little  communication  was  held.  The  obnoxious  class  of  ad- 
venturers and  the  restless  element  which  rushed  into  the 
Transvaal  on  the  discovery  of  the  gold-fields  of  the  Rand 
passed  by  the  Free  State,  leaving  its  people  to  farm  and  hunt, 
to  attend  to  the  education  of  their  children  and  the  admin- 
istration of  the  government  unmolested.      Their  social  life  in 

215 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


the  towns  was  that  of  any  county  seat  in  Pennsylvania  where 
the  population  is  about  the  same  numerically.  The  presence 
of  the  blacks,  who  did  all  the  harder  labor,  developed  an  easy 
way  of  living  and  of  doing  things,  not  unHke  that  of  our 
own  South,  years  ago.  Political  corruption  and  bribery 
were  unknown.  The  various  problems  of  administration 
and  general  intercourse  occasioned  by  the  native  population 

of  blacks  had  been  successfully 
solved.  The  Imperial  author- 
ities publicly  admitted  that  the 
Free  State  had  probably  the 
most  perfect  government  in  the 
world.  A  cleaner  government 
and  society  undoubtedly  does  not 
exist  anywhere. 

Perhaps  the  most  surprising 
of  the  many  contrasts  I  met  with 
in  South  Africa  was  the  difference 
between  the  young  ladies  of  Cape 
Colony  and  the  Free  State.  The 
Cape  Colony  girl  is  quite  English 
in  her  appearance  and  manners ; 
her  habits  are  those  of  her  mother,  who,  perhaps,  came  out 
to  the  Cape  the  bride  of  an  energetic  young  Englishman, 


Miss  Elsa  Leviseur  of  Bloem- 
fontein,*  who,  as  '*  Miss 
Bloemfontein,"  had  the  bril- 
liant journalistic  tilt  in  the 
columns  of  "The  Friend" 
with  Mr.  Julian  Ralph. 


*  This  beautiful  girl  above  is  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  M,  Leviseur,  of 
Bloemfontein,  a  leading  banker  and  Secretary  of  the  National  Museum. 
When  the  troops  occupied  the  city  and  the  war  correspondents,  by  request  of 
Lord  Roberts,  undertook  to  edit  the  daily  paper,  "  The  Friend,"  an  English 
correspondent  wrote  a  patronizing  letter  addressed  to  the  ladies  of  the  town 
collectively  as  *'Miss  Bloemfontein,"  in  which  he  assumed  that  the  handful 
of  English  women-sympathizers  who  came  out  to  welcome  the  troops  repre- 
sented the  entii-e  town.  The  tone  of  the  whole  letter  was  unworthy  of  a  man 
like  the  writer,  and  at  least  one  exasperated  young  woman  wrote  an  answer  to 
him,  signing  herself  "  Miss  Bloemfontein,"  which  was  published,  with  a  reply 
by  the  Britisher,  which  the  young  lady  wisely  left  unanswered.  It  is  the  gen- 
eral opinion   among  the  officers  of  the  army  that  she  had  much  the  better  of 

2l6 


THE  FREE  STATE  GIRLS 

to  help  him  build  a  home  and  get  a  start  in  the  new  country. 
The  Free  State  girl  is  often  a  mixture  of  several  nationali- 
ties ;  she  has  the  blood  of  England,  France,  Germany  and 
Holland  in  her  veins.  It  was  her  grandfather,  and  some- 
times his  father  also,  who  had  left  Europe  for  Africa  ;  she 
has  had  fifty  to  a  hundred  years  longer  than  the  Cape  girl  in 
which  to  draw  into  her  body  and  soul  the  atmosphere  and 
spirit  of  the  veldt.  Spending  her  days  far  from  the  salt  air, 
among  green  farms,  beside  red-brown  kopjes,  hving  among 
a  people  whose  social  purity  and  administrative  cleanliness 
were  superior  to  those  of  any  other  nation,  she  has  ac- 
quired an  air  of  independence,  a  freedom  of  manner,  has 
developed  a  high  quality  of  self-rehance,  and  altogether 
has  grown  into  a  healthy,  active,  full-blooded,  up-to-date 
girl,  more  like  her  American  sisters  that  are  the  girls  of  any 
other  land. 

When  the  British  occupied  Bloemfontein,  some  of  the 
more  fortunate  of  the  officers  were  introduced  to  a  few  of 
the  young  ladies  of  the  town.  Their  first  remark  usually 
was,  *'  Oh,  you  have  been  educated  in  England,"  and  great 
was  their  surprise  to  hear  the  reply,  "  No,  I  have  never  been 

the  literary  bout  with  the  distinguished  journalist.  Later  on,  when  the  Press 
Concert  was  given,  Miss  Leviseur  took  part  as  pianist ;  it  was  learned  that  she 
was  a  musician  and  composer  of  considerable  ability.  Miss  Leviseur  holds 
four  diplomas  awarded  by  the  Examiners  of  the  Associated  Board  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Music  and  the  Royal  College  of  Music,  London.  She  has  also 
passed  matriculating  examinations  which  will  procure  her  admission  into  any 
foreign  university.  Her  sole  instructor  in  music  has  been  the  Baroness  Von 
Stettler,  a  Swiss  lady  who  has  settled  in  the  Free  State.  Miss  Leviseur  comes 
from  a  musical  family,  several  members  of  which  have  achieved  Continental 
reputation.  Her  compositions  thus  far  have  been  confined  to  the  setting  of  some 
of  Tennyson's  verse  to  music.  In  company  with  her  father  she  visited  Europe, 
where  she  travelled  for  nearly  a  year,  principally  in  Germany,  returning  to  the 
Free  State,  where  she  is  continuing  her  musical  studies.  In  addition  to  music, 
Miss  Leviseur  is  possessed  of  marked  literary  ability,  having  written  a  number 
of  stories  in  addition  to  her  clever  reply  to  Mr.  JuHan  Ralph  in  ''The 
Friend." 

217 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


out  of  the  Free  State."  A  few  have  travelled  extensively, 
but  the  majority  have  grown  into  charming  women  solely 
through  their  ability  to  adapt  to  their  own  uses  the  best 
hints  and  suggestions  that  they  chanced  to  receive.  They 
are  omnivorous  readers,  and  have  great 
adaptability — another  point  in  common 
with  their  American  sisters,  whom  they 
intensely  admire  as  being  the  most  privi- 
leged women  on  earth. 

The  Free  State   girl   leads  an   out-of- 
door  life.       In  town  she  rides  a   wheel 
and  plays  tennis.      Golf  was  becoming 
popular  before  the  war  began  and  put 
a  stop  to  most  of  the  recreations.      The 
Free  State  is   a  horse-breeding  country, 
and  riding,  of  course,  is  one  of  her  ac- 
complishments, a  common  pastime  having 
Miss  Florence  Fraser,     been  for  a  party  of  young  folks  to  ride 
Eldest     Daughter     thirty  miles  across  country  to  a  big  farm- 
of  Mr.  John  Pra-     i^Q^gg  ^^^  j^^ve  a  surprise  *'  house  party  " 

ser,       known       as 

"The   Free   State      ^r  a  few  days. 

Nightingale."*  Music,  art  and  reading   were   among 

the   Free  State  girls'  indoor  diversions, 

and  when  the  vexatious   servant-girl   question  reached  the 

unsolvable    point,   she,   like    any   sensible    American    girl, 


*  This  young  lady  is  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Fraser,  Steyn's  oppo- 
nent for  the  Presidency  of  the  Free  State.  Being  a  singer  of  rare  ability, 
greatly  in  demand  not  only  in  the  Free  State,  but  also  being  frequently  sent 
for,  by  concerts  in  the  Colony  and  Natal,  she  has  earned  the  title  under  her 
picture,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  all  South  Africa  is  proud  of  her.  At 
the  recent  concert  given  in  Bloemfontein  by  the  war  correspondents  and 
Lord  Roberts,  Miss  Fraser  sang  a  song  specially  written  for  her  and  the  occa- 
sion by  Rudyard  Kipling.  The  tune  was  that  of  "Old  Lang  Syne,"  and  at 
its  conclusion  I  had  the  honor,  in  behalf  of  the  audience,  of  requesting  her  to 
repeat  the  song,  as  they  wanted  to  join  in  the  chorus.  The  deafening  result 
will  long  be  remembered  by  those  who  were  present.      Miss  Fraser' s  musical 

2l8 


THE  FREE  STATE  GIRLS 

simply  rolled  up  her  sleeves  and  went  into  the  kitchen 
herself. 

Dances  were  frequent  before  the  war,  and  two  or  three 
times  a  year  the  Staadt's  President  gave  a  ball  at  the  beau- 
tiful Presidency,  and  foreign  visitors  who  attended  saw, 
marvelled,  and  then  went  away  to  tell  of  the  wonderful 
girls  and  women  of  the  Free  State. 

When  war  was  declared  the  Free  State  sister  helped  her 
brother  to  pack  his  scanty  outfit, — for  the  Boer  warrior 
travels  light,  and  is  swift — kissed  him  good-by,  and  sent 
him  off  with  her  father  and  her  friends'  brothers  to  fight, 
and  then  visited  him  in  his  laager  to  prevent  his  yearning 
for  home  from  making  him  grow  faint-hearted. 

Now  that  the  enemy  has  occupied  the  country  and  the 
Boer  is  a  prisoner  at  St.  Helena  or  still  fighting  across  the 
border  in  the  Transvaal,  the  girl  sits  at  home  waiting  pa- 
tiently for  his  return,  raising  money  for  his  use  if  he  is  a 
prisoner,  but  uttering  no  word  of  complaint  to  make  him, 
if  he  is  fighting,  feel  that  his  place  is  back  at  home. 

But  now  the  tennis-racquet  is  laid  aside,  for  there  are 
*'  orderly  horses  "  stabled  in  the  courts.  The  bicycle  stands 
in  the  hall  unused,  for  the  Provost  Marshal  requires  the 
girl  to  ask  for  a  pass  if  she  will  ride,  and  she  is  too  proud  to 
do  so  ;  pony-riding  also  has  been  abandoned,  for  the  hateful 
pass  must  be  obtained  for  that,  too.  For  the  same  reason, 
no  more  the  visiting  of  country  farms  ;  in  addition  to  this  is 


education  was  begun  in  Bloemfontein.  After  four  years'  study  she  went  to 
Germany,  where  she  made  her  debut,  giving  a  successful  concert  in  Berhn. 
She  received  her  finishing  instruction  in  England  under  Santley,  and  after 
giving  a  second  successful  concert  in  London,  at  Queen's  Hall,  returned  to 
the  Free  State.  The  first  time  I  heard  her  referred  to  as  the  "  Free  State 
Nightingale  "  was  by  Mr.  John  Steyn,  brother  of  the  President  and  one  of  her 
father's  strongest  political  opponents,  and  the  pride  he  took  in  her  spoke  vol- 
umes for  the  ability  of  Free  State  aesthetic  appreciation  to  rise  superior  to  po- 
litical complications  and  differences. 

219 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

the  sad  fact  that  many  of  the  most  dear  ones  have  been 
razed  to  the  ground.  A  deadly  feud  between  her  and  the 
Uitlander  section  of  her  friends  has  divided  her  social  circle. 
The  city  is  full  of  the  ugly  khaki  uniforms.  There  is  little 
new  to  read,  and  the  old  has  ceased  to  interest.  And  last, 
but  not  least,  all  evening  parties  must  break  up  at  half-past 
eight,  when  the  curfews  send  all  but  the  military  home  and 
to  bed. 

When  the  British  marched  into  Bloemfontein  the  Boer 
girl  closed  the  house,  and  in  darkness,  at  midday,  threw 
herself  on  her  bed  with  her  hands  over  her  ears  to  drown 
the  sound  of  the  enemy  marching,  and  cried  bitterly, 
for  her  heart  was  breaking.  Now  that  she  feels  that  the 
cause  of  Afrikanderdom  is  hopelessly  lost,  she  is  bravely 
drying  her  tears  and  getting  ready  to  help  the  returning 
warrior  face  the  new  conditions  and  to  make  the  best  of 
them.  She  w^as,  and  still  is,  proud  of  her  country,  and 
though  still  impatient  at  the  suggestion  that  as  a  part  of  the 
British  Empire  a  larger  field  is  open  for  her  for  the  exploita- 
tion of  the  greater  personality  which  she  unconsciously 
holds  in  reserve,  yet  she  will  come  to  a  realization  of  this 
and  of  many  more  things  earlier  than  her  more  slowly- 
thinking  brother,  and  help  him  to  grow  more  easily  into 
the  new  conditions. 

The  Free  State  girl  so  impressed  me,  an  American,  by 
her  appearance  of  being  of  the  American  type,  that  she 
made  me  quite  homesick,  and  almost  as  sorry  to  leave 
Bloemfontein  and  go  with  the  Queen's  army  toward  Pre- 
toria as  I  had  been  to  leave  America. 


220 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

TWO     OTHER    AMERICANS CAPTAIN    SLOCUM,    UNITED     STATES 

ATTACHE,    AND    BURNHAM,    THE    SCOUT. 

A  FAVORITE  headquarters  for  the  few  Americans  con- 
nected with  the  Imperial  army  was  the  house  of  the 
mihtary  attaches,  where  Captain  Slocum,  of  the  United 
States  army,  occupied  the  best  rooms,  and  there  received 
such  of  his  fellow-countrymen  as  were  fortunate  enough  to 
know  him.  I  dropped  in  on  him  one  afternoon  to  listen 
to  the  refreshing  music  of  the  American  accent,  and  shortly 
afterward  Burnham,  the  American  scout,  came  in  also.  After 
introducing  us.  Captain  Slocum  reached  over  to  his  desk 
and  took  up  a  small  bundle  of  pamphlets,  saying,  **  Boys, 
I  have  had  something  sent  to  me  from  the  States — three 
complete  sets  of  '  Billy  Baxter's  Letters.'  They're  overflow- 
ing with  breezy  American  slang  and  humor ;  they're  very 
funny.  I  want  to  give  each  of  you  a  set  and  keep  one  for 
myself  Take  them  home  with  you,  read  them  to-night, 
and  then,  when  you  come  again,  we  can  laugh  together 
over  them.  There's  no  use  of  my  reading  or  giving  them 
to  any  of  these  Englishmen,  for  they're  not  familiar  with  our 
idioms  ;  American  humor  is  a  bit  beyond  them,  too.  I've 
been  fairly  starving  for  some  one  to  enjoy  these  things 
with."  I  took  my  copies,  and  offer  as  a  free  advertisement 
right  here  to  the  publisher  of  *'  Billy  Baxter's  Letters  "  that 
they  were  as  a  draught  of  cold  water  in  a  parching  desert 
to  me  and  half  a  dozen  other  Americans,  with  whom  I 
enjoyed  them  repeatedly.  Yes,  Captain  Slocum  was  right : 
''Boys,  they're  simply  great." 

221 


WITH  ''  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

Thus  introduced,  I  came  to  know  Burnham  very  well. 
Our  mutual  experience  of  the  Klondyke  fields  was  a  strong 
bond  of  sympathy.  He  had  left  French  Gulch,  twenty-five 
miles  northeast  of  Dawson  City,  solely  to  volunteer  his 
services  to  Lord  Roberts.  Burnham  had  spent  some  years 
in  South  Africa  before,  and  was  therefore  famiHar  with  the 
country.  He  received  an  appointment  on  the  Field  Mar- 
shal's staff.  During  Broadwood's  retreat  from  Th'  Banchu, 
while  the  fighting  was  still  in  progress,  Burnham  conceived 
the  idea  of  going  out  to  see  the  affair.  Galloping  off,  he 
arrived  just  in  time  to  be  a  witness  of  the  Koornspruit  dis- 
aster. He  at  once  decided  to  allow  himself  to  be  captured, 
w^ith  the  idea  of  acquiring  some  information  from  the 
burghers,  and  afterward  escaping  to  the  British  lines.  So 
he  quietly  rode  into  the  enemy's  hands  and  surrendered 
himself 

Several  days  later,  while  the  Boer  column  was  halting  at 
noonday,  another  prisoner,  an  English  officer,  walked  up  to 
Burnham,  who  had  concealed  his  identity,  and  called  him 
by  name.  Commandant  De  Wet  (of  whom  all  the  world 
now  knows)  was  lying  on  the  ground  under  a  wagon  near 
by,  within  earshot.  So  Burnham  tried  to  make  the  officer 
understand,  by  signs,  to  be  quiet,  saying  at  the  same  time, 
coldly,  *'  You  are  mistaken  ;  that's  not  my  name  ;  I  don't 
know  you."  The  idiotic  officer  could  not  understand  ;  he 
thought  Burnham  was  joking  ;  so  he  laughed  and  said, 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know  you  quite  well  ;  you  are  Burnham, 
Lord  Roberts'  Chief  of  Scouts."  At  this,  De  Wet  sprang 
up  excitedly,  crying, 

**Ah!  So  you're  Burnham,  are  you?  Well,  you're 
just  the  man  I  have  been  wanting  this  long  time."  A 
double  guard  was  immediately  placed  in  charge  of  Burn- 
ham, who  kept  him  isolated  from  the  other  prisoners.  The 
British  officer,  realizing  his  mistake  too  late,  made  some 

222 


CAPTAIN  SLOCUM— SCOUT  BURNHAM 

effort  to  apologize,  I  believe ;  but  was  hustled  off  uncere- 
moniously, even  the  Boers  showing  soldierly  contempt  for 
such  thoughtlessness. 

A  few  days  later  Burnham  learned  from  the  conversa- 
tion of  his  guards  that  they  were  nearing  the  railway,  and 
that  they  and  he  would  then  be  sent  on  to  Pretoria  by  train. 


Burnham,  the  American  Scout,  Chief  of  Lord  Roberts'  Scouts,  attached  to  the 
Field  Marshal's  Staff  with  rank  of  Major,  and  the  only  scout  who  con- 
tinually penetrated  the  enemy's  lines,  returning  with  information. 


Realizing  that  this  would  made  escape  impossible,  he  de- 
cided to  lose  no  time  in  attempting  to  get  away.  The  mere 
fact  that  the  British  officer's  idiocy  had  made  escape  doubly 
difficult  in  no  way  dismayed  him.  At  night,  for  greater 
safety,  he  was  placed  in  a  trek-wagon,  closely  covered,  ex- 
cept in  front.     An  armed  driver  sat  on  the  seat,  and  guards 

223 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

rode  at  each  side  and  at  the  back.  Burnham  kept  awake^ 
watching  his  chance,  which  came  when  the  driver  got  down 
to  give  some  directions  to  the  native  boy  leading  the  oxen. 
Burnham  crept  up  on  the  seat,  from  which  he  slipped  down 
to  the  *' disselboom,"  or  cart-tongue,  and  from  there  slid 
gently  to  the  ground,  allowing  himself  to  fall  prostrate  on 
the  ground  under  the  cart,  which  passed  on  over  him. 
Of  course  the  guards  at  either  side  saw  nothing  of  this  ; 
only  those  on  the  back  of  the  cart  were  to  be  feared. 
Burnham  lay  perfectly  still,  prepared  to  endure  even  a 
horse's  tread  on  his  body  without  giving  a  sign.  The 
night  was  fairly  dark,  the  horses  of  the  following  cart  stepped 
carefully  over  him,  and  their  riders  ''just  happened  "  not  to 
look  downward.  The  next  cart,  drawn  by  oxen,  was  some 
distance  behind,  and  before  they  had  come  up  Burnham  had 
rolled  swiftly  to  the  side  of  the  road,  where  he  again  lay 
motionless  until  the  cart  had  passed  ;  then,  before  another 
cart  came,  he  had  gone  far  enough  to  allow  him  to  roll  on 
for  several  hundred  yards,  until  so  far  from  the  line  of 
transports  that  he  could  dare  to  get  on  his  hands  and  knees, 
and  crawl  still  farther  into  night  and  safety. 

About  this  time  his  escape  was  discovered.  The  column 
halted,  and  many  lights  appeared.  Horsemen  rode  up  and 
down  the  line  shouting,  a  few  shots  were  fired  at  nothing 
in  particular,  other  horsemen  scattered  rapidly  on  either 
side  to  explore  the  veldt,  and  several  came  very  close  to 
where  Burnham  was  lying,  but  in  the  darkness  he  looked 
so  much  like  any  clump  of  grass  about  him  that  he  escaped 
notice.  Had  the  pursuers  waited  until  daylight  he  must 
have  been  discovered. 

Finally  the  column  moved  on,  and  after  waiting  a  proper 
time  Burnham  rose  to  his  feet  and  struck  off  southward  for 
Bloemfontein.  After  two  days  and  two  nights  on  the  veldt, 
lying  hidden  by  day  on  the  summits  of  friendly  kopjes,  from 

224 


CAPTAIN  SLOCUM— SCOUT  BURNHAM 

where  he  could  see  occasional  Boer  scouts  presumably  on 
the  lookout  for  him,  he  succeeded  in  reaching  Bloemfontein 
safely,  having  been  for  most  of  the  time  entirely  without 
food.  He  had  gained  important  information  from  the  care- 
less conversation  of  his  guards,  and  accomplished  his  pur- 
pose after  it  had  been  made  infinitely  more  difficult  by  the 
stupidity  of  the  thick-headed  English  officer  who  revealed 
his  identity. 


225 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

WITH  GENERAL  FRENCH  AFTER  GENERAL  DE  WET. 

THE  most  striking  figure  produced  by  the  war  is  that 
of  General  De  Wet.  He  is  the  leader  of  the  Irrecon- 
cilables,  and  is  by  far  the  most  able  General  the  war  has 
developed  on  either  side.  He  first  sprang  into  notice  as 
a  mere  commandant  after  the  capture  of  Bloemfontein, 
when  all  active  resistance  in  the  Free  State  had  practically 
ceased.  De  Wet  with  two  faithful  followers  slipped  quietly 
down  into  the  southeastern  part  of  the  Free  State,  where 
thousands  of  burghers  had  returned  to  their  farms,  having 
surrendered  part  of  their  arms  and  taken  an  oath  of  neu- 
trality. Going  to  a  reoccupied  farm,  De  Wet  called  on  the 
burghers  to  come  out  with  their  rifles  and  follow  him.  At 
first  they  refused,  but  when  De  Wet  leveled  his  Mauser  at 
their  heads,  calling  them  "traitors,"  they  obeyed  at  once. 
As  he  gathered  a  small  commando  about  him  in  this  way 
he  went  from  farm  to  farm  himself,  sending  out  parties 
of  three  men  each  all  over  that  section  of  the  country, 
until  within  a  week  over  four  thousand  men  gathered 
together  at  the  rendezvous  he  had  appointed.  All  were 
well-armed  and  equipped  with  ammunition  and  good  horses. 
They  were  in  the  richest  farming  part  of  the  country,  and 
could  forage  easily  and  successfully.  From  the  fragments 
remaining  of  Cronje's  last  stand  and  the  smaller  oppositions 
to  the  invasion  at  Poplar  Grove  and  Driefontein,  De  Wet 
with  the  assistance  of  only  two  other  men  had  created  over 
night,  as  it  were,  a  new  and  most  formidable  army.  The 
first  thing  of  note  De  Wet  did  was  to  attack  a  pacification 

226 


WITH  GENERAL  FRENCH 


expedition  which  had  gone  forty  miles  to  Th^  Banchu,  due 
east  from  Bloemfontein,  gathering  forage  and  distributing 
proclamations.  While  this  party  was  returning  De  Wet  pur- 
sued it  steadily  for  a  day  until  within  twenty  miles  of  Bloem- 
fontein, a  stubborn  rear-guard  defence  having  been  kept  up. 
Night  falling,  the  English  troops  under  General  Broadwood 
made  camp  near  the  waterworks  within  sight  of  an  Eng- 
lish outpost  a  few  miles  nearer  the  city.  During  the  night 
De  Wet  sent  part  of  his  force  around  in  front  of  the  British, 
where  they  concealed  themselves  in  the  dry  bed  of  a  small 


General  Stevenson  directs  the  placing  of  the  field  artillery  at  the  Battle  of 

Leuykop. 

stream  called  Koornspruit.  As  General  Broadwood  re- 
sumed his  march  at  daybreak,  and  the  transports  reached 
the  spruit,  the  Boers,  without  firing  a  shot,  captured  the 
wagons  as  they  went  across  the  drift,  until,  after  an  incred- 
ibly long  time,  the  alarm  was  given  and  the  fighting  began. 
The  result  was  that  the  English  were  compelled  to  bolt  for 
Bloemfontein,  while  De  Wet's  coup  netted  him  two  batteries 
of  seven  guns,  ninety  transports  with  supplies,  and  about  five 
hundred  prisoners.  This  was  called  the  Koornspruit  Disaster 
or  the  Battle  of  Sanna's  Post.  The  blame  for  the  affair 
has  never  been  definitely  fixed  upon  any  one  but  De  Wet. 

227 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Shortly  after  this,  five  companies  of  the  Irish  Rifles  were 
surprised  near  Edenberg  and  captured.  Survivors  of  the 
fight  said  that,  contrary  to  their  usual  custom,  the  Boers, 
instead  of  fighting  only  from  behind  cover,  actually  charged 
up  a  long  slope  at  the  companies,  surrounding  them,  and 
effecting  a  complete  surrender,  with  very  little  loss  of  life 
on  either  side.  My  old  friend  Captain  Tennant,  Press 
Censor  under  Gatacre,  was  captured  here,  having  ridden 
out  "to  see  the  show."  This  was  De  Wet's  second  coup. 
Shortly  afterward  the  English  garrison  at  Wepner,  under 
Colonel  Dalgety,  was  invested  by  General  De  Wet,  and,  as 
a  result,  about  five  columns  of  English  troops,  numbering 
in  all  at  least  forty  thousand,  were  set  in  motion  to  relieve 
Wepner  and  capture  De  Wet. 

General  De  Wet's  persistency  and  tenacity  of  purpose 
are  said  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  he  has  lost  in  this  war 
almost  every  member  of  his  family.  He  is  the  leader  of 
the  irreconcilables ;  his  appearance  at  the  darkest  hour 
of  the  war  and  his  brilliant  successes  at  once  revived  the 
flagging  spirits  of  burgherdom,  and  undoubtedly  prolonged 
the  war. 

Bloemfontein  was  a  city  of  mysteries  and  rumors.  Plots 
of  a  hundred  kinds  were  continually  unearthed  ;  scores  of 
weapons  concealed  in  cellars  or  buried  in  gardens,  and  told 
of  by  treacherous  servants,  sent  whole  families  across  the 
border — the  men  to  St.  Helena,  the  women  to  friends  or 
strangers  in  the  colony.  Movements  of  troops  were  kept 
secret ;  many  officers  were  afraid  to  give  even  a  corres- 
pondent-friend a  hint.  The  wiser  of  us  asked  no  questions, 
but  kept  our  eyes  on  the  supply-depot  and  the  transport- 
camps.  One  day  in  April  a  transport-contractor  said  to 
me,  "  We  are  getting  two  hundred  ox-teams  ready  for  day 
after  to-morrow."  When  "to-morrow"  came  I  was  in 
the  saddle,  mounted  on  a  new  pony  presented  to  me  a  few 

22S 


WITH  GENERAL  FRENCH 

days  before  by  Mr.  John  Steyn,  brother  of  the  President, 
who  was  a  semi-prisoner  on  his  farm,  eight  miles  south  of 
Bloemfontein.  There  was  no  doubt  of  the  direction  the 
movement  had  taken.  A  thousand  oxen  and  their  wagons 
leave  a  track  even  on  paved  streets  ;  so,  following  the  new 
road  across  the  veldt,  I  knew  it  was  only  a  question  of 
time  before  I  would  overtake  the  transports,  and  near  by 
would  be  the  fighting  force,  which  must  be  considerable,  to 
have  needed  so  many  teams.      By  noon  I  agreed  with  an- 


The  firing-line  resting  between  the  rushes  and  watching  the  shells  explode  on 
the  enemy's  position.  The  photograph  was  taKen  under  a  heavy  artil- 
lery and  rifle-fire  from  both  sides. 

other  correspondent,  with  whom  I  was  riding,  that  there 
were  three  columns,  for  the  wagon-tracks  were  separating, 
taking  different  directions.  Which  to  follow  was  a  serious 
question,  since  we  knew  not  the  plans  of  the  movement. 

A  dull  boom  of  cannon  half  a  dozen  miles  ahead  de- 
cided the  question  for  us,  and  half  an  hour's  hard  riding 
brought  us  up  with  General  Stevenson's  brigade,  where  his 
artillery  was  pounding  away  on  the  enemy's  position  at 
Leuykop,  about  twenty  miles  east  of  Bloemfontein.  A 
small  battle  was  in  progress.     The  enemy  were  scattered 

229 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

along  a  range  of  kopjes  for  three  or  four  miles.  General 
French,  with  the  cavalry  brigade,  had  gone  on  several 
hours  before ;  the  infantry  division,  following  under  Gen- 
eral Pole-Carew,  found  itself  opposed  by  the  Boers,  Gen- 
eral Stevenson  with  his  brigade  endeavoring  to  dislodge 
them  from  their  position.  As  we  came  up  Stevenson  was 
just  indicating  to  a  staff  officer  where  he  wanted  the  second 
battery  to  take  position.  I  followed  the  young  lieutenant 
with  the  guns,  watched  them  unlimber,  load  and  fire  for 
half  an  hour  at  a  clump  of  trees  three   miles    off  at  the 


Creeping  up  on  the  farm  through  the  tall  grass  in  the  swamp.     English  shells 
bursting  prematurely  overhead.     Five  men  were  lost  here. 

base  of  a  kopje,  and  which  I  knew  was  an  old  homestead 
belonging  to  some  Free  State  farmer  who  himself  was  in 
the  firing-line  with  his  countrymen,  or  perhaps  a  prisoner 
at  St.  Helena  with  General  Cronje,  whose  army  was  almost 
entirely  recruited  from  this  region.  Then  I  attached  my- 
self to  a  squadron  of  Roberts'  light  horse,  who  were 
directed  to  ride  out  to  protect  the  flank  while  the  guns 
moved  up  half  a  mile  closer.  Seeing  that  the  squadron 
would  soon  be  out  of  action  and  sight  of  the  fight,  I  left 
them,  and  in  company  with  several  artillery  scouts  rode  on 

230 


WITH  GENERAL  FRENCH 

ahead  to  within  a  mile  of  the  farm  ;  then,  turning  to  its 
left,  we  rode  till  we  were  abreast  of  it.  Behind  we  could 
see  the  English  shells  falling,  scattering  great  clouds  of 
dust  where  they  exploded.  A  dozen  or  more  Boers  were 
riding  furiously  across  an  open  space  for  cover  behind  a 
farther  kopje ;  the  British  shells,  evidently  doing  no  harm, 
yet  confusing  the  enemy  greatly. 


The  Welsh  Regiment  being  driven  back  behind  the  farmyard  wall.  An  Eng- 
lish shell  bursting  against  the  kopje  in  the  background.  From  this  wall 
Captain  Prothero  led  the  charge  which  resulted  in  his  death. 

The  scouts  pushed  on  another  hundred  yards,  till  we 
could  get  a  complete  view  of  the  new  positions  taken  up 
by  the  enemy  ;  then  the  ranking  Tommy  ordered  one  of 
the  others  to  return  and  make  his  report.  While  talking 
he  took  out  his  pipe,  and  was  in  the  act  of  lighting  it  as  the 
other  man  started  off.  Simultaneously  there  came  a  sharp 
**  pop-pop  "  from  our  left,  and  for  the  first  time  we  noticed 
that  we  were  within  five  hundred  yards  of  a  kopje ;  then 
two  bullets  *'  zinged  "  through  the  air  close  by.  Tommy 
looked  up  from  his  pipe  with  a  grin  and  said,  **  The  bloody 
beggars  !  they're  shootin'  at  us  ;"  then,  as  he  took  another 

231 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

puff,  three  more  shots  followed,  this  time  the  bullets  splash- 
ing up  little  puffs  of  dust  just  ahead  of  us. 

*' I  guess  we'll  be  gettin'  out  o'  this,"  energetically  came 
from  behind  the  pipe  as  Tommy  turned  his  horse  and  vigor- 
ously applied  whip  and  spur.  I  quickly  took  the  lead, 
having  a  better  horse,  and  rode  directly  in  front  of  him ; 
then,  as  I  noticed  the  bullets  coming  faster  and  spitting 
up  suggestive  splashes  of  dust  in  a  line  straight  ahead,  I 
decided  to  ride  off  to  one  side,  preferring  a  scattered  to  a 
concentrated  fire.  For  half  a  mile  we  galloped,  the  Tom- 
mies keeping  up  a  rattling  exchange  of  chaff,  asking  each 
other,  **  Wot's  your  hurry — forgot  somethin'  ?  Wait  a  bit, 
I'm  comin'  with  you.  I  dropped  my  water-bottle  ;  guess 
I'll  not  bother  about  goin'  back  for  it,"  and  so  on.  When 
we  reached  a  donga,  cut  ten  feet  deep  in  the  veldt  by  heavy 
rains,  we  dismounted  and  took  account  of  stock.  A  few 
things  had  been  dropped,  and  one  of  the  boys  had  a  bullet 
in  his  haversack.  I  noticed  my  pony  held  one  leg  rather 
stiffly,  and  a  further  examination  discovered  a  little  hole — 
white  edges  with  a  dark-red  centre — in  his  left  thigh.  It 
seemed  to  be  only  a  flesh  wound,  and,  as  I  could  not  leave 
my  saddle  there,  I  led  the  animal  on  toward  the  farm, 
where  I  could  see  the  skirmish-line  closing  in. 

When  near  the  end  man,  I  looked  over  his  head  at  the 
kopjes  we  had  just  left  so  unceremoniously,  then  along  the 
line  of  his  comrades,  lying  panting  on  their  faces,  waiting 
for  the  order  to  rush  another  hundred  yards  before  the 
next  rest.  The  enemy  were  leaving  the  farm  grounds  at 
this  time  and  a  fierce  artillery  duel  was  raging  over  our 
heads,  the  shells  flying  in  both  directions.  Then  from  the 
kopje  which  had  spoken  sharply  to  us  a  short  time  before 
came  the  quick,  irritating  barking  of  a  Boer  pom-pom — a 
rapid-fire  gun  of  large  bore — firing  in  quick  succession  a 
dozen  explosive  shells  of  small  size.     Where  they  fell,  sev- 

2^2 


WITH  GENERAL  FRENCH 


eral  hundred  yards  away,  two  or  three  companies  scattered 
rather  quickly,  and  a  whole  regiment  promptly  lay  down 
in  the  grass.  Then  the  pom-pom  turned  its  attention  to 
the  mounted  troops.     The  first  shell,  as  I  afterward  learned, 

went  through  the 
body  of  the  Col- 
onel of  Roberts' 
horse,  a  gentle- 
man whose  guest 
I  had  been  a  few 
days     previously, 


Like  locusts  on  the  dam- 
wall,  firing  at  the  Boers 
as  they  "  cleared.'' 

and  who  had 
ceived  his  promo- 
tion less  than  a 
week  before.  He 
died  the  following 
day,  and  was  about 
the  sixth  personal 
friend  I  had  lost  since  joining  the  army. 

We  were  now  close  to  the  farmyard  walls,  and  crawling 
through  the  high  grass  of  a  swamp,  while  the  concentrated 
fire  of  three  batteries  was  passing  directly  overhead,  and 
some  of  the  British  shells  exploding  prematurely  above  us. 
We  lost  five  men  in  the  swamp  ;  then  we  rushed  the  farm, 

233 


The  Warwicks  along  the  north  wall  firing  with 
smokeless  powder  under  heavy  artillery  and 
"pom-pom"  fire  from  the  enemy. 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

getting  over  the  walls  and  taking   cover  behind  a  row  of 
trees  and  the  side-wall  farther  on. 

The  enemy  had  retired  to  the  kopjes  beyond,  against  the 
sides  of  which  our  shells  could  be  seen  bursting.  Several 
men  dropped  near  me  slightly  wounded,  and  a  few  who 
had  ventured  beyond  the  wall  were  killed  or  badly  wounded. 
Along  another  wall  the  Warwick  regiment  was  firing  at 
the  enemy,  their  smokeless-powder  Lee-Metfords  making 
a  continuous  rattle.  To  take  a  photograph  of  this  scene  I 
was  compelled  to  mount  my  horse,  being  for  the  time  ex- 
posed to  the  enemy's  fire.  In  the  corner  of  the  walls  the 
galloping  Maxim  rapid-fire  gun  had  halted,  and  its  officers 
were  peppering  away,  one  of  them  remarking, 

**  I  cawn't  see  a  bloody  Boah  ;  but  we'll  let  them  have  a 
few  rounds,  anyway." 

Back  of  the  farmhouse  the  young  women,  who  had  been 
nearly  frightened  to  death  an  hour  before  by  the  bombard- 
ment, were  busily  engaged  in  making  and  selling  tea  at 
thruppence  a  cup  to  the  straggling  Tommies  and  the  offi- 
cers, while  their  best  rooms  were  being  turned  into  a  tem- 
porary hospital  for  the  wounded.  The  ladies  and  their 
brother  did  not  make  the  slightest  objection  to  posing  for 
their  photographs,  only  asking  me  to  wait  until  the  next 
day,  when  they  could  ''dress  up  a  bit."  Of  course  I 
obliged  them,  but  I  was  compelled  to  ride  back  several 
miles  to  do  so,  for  shortly  after,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting, 
I  followed  the  Welsh  regiment  in  an  assault  on  the  kopjes, 
which  they  carried  successfully.  As  a  reward  for  their 
work — some  military  rewards  are  peculiar — they  were 
compelled  to  He  all  night  on  its  summit,  half-freezing, 
and  waiting  till  midnight  for  the  water-carts  to  come  up, 
they  not  having  had  any  water  since  four  o'clock  that 
morning. 

That  night,  while  talking  around  the  fire  with  the  officers, 

234 


WITH  GENERAL  FRENCH 

I  learned  that  General  Colville,  with  his  division,  was  to 
the  north  ;  General  Dickson  was  ahead,  with  the  cavalry ; 
we  were  with  the  infantry  division,  under  General  Pole- 
Carew,  and  our  destination  was  an  indefinite  somewhere, 
to  round  up  the  guerrilla  chief  General  De  Wet  and  create 


The  galloping  Maxim  in  the  corner.      **  I  cawn't  see  a  bloody  Boah  ;  but  we'll 
let  them  have  a  few  rounds,  anyway." 

another  Paardeburg.  But  the  first  duty  of  all  was  to  rest, 
for  the  day's  work  had  been  very  hard.  No  time  was 
wasted  in  camp  fun  or  in  swapping  yarns,  but  while  dozing 
off  to  sleep  I  heard  a  Tommy,  in  the  most  pronounced  tone 
of  satisfaction,  repeating  sleepily  to  himself, 

*'  We    charged    up    the    kopgee ;    we    charged    up    the 
kopgee." 


235 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

AN  ECHO  OF  '*  THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD." 

WHILE  the  noise  and  excitement  was  at  its  height,  I 
saw  my  friend  Hodgetts  of  *'The  Express"  riding 
along  the  lower  wall,  behind  which  the  Welsh  regiment 
was  under  cover.  Closely  following  him,  and  bending  low 
in  the  saddle,  were  two  red-collared  staff  officers.  As  they 
came  nearer,  I  recognized  the  young  Dukes  of  Westminster 
and  Marlborough.  They  rode  up  to  the  wall,  where  they 
hastily  tied  their  ponies  to  a  tree,  and  then  sat  down  on  the 
sfround  at  the  base  of  a  twelve- foot  wall,  well  under  its 
cover,  crouching  low,  as  though  that  would  make  their  posi- 
tion still  safer. 

They  evidently  well  appreciated  the  necessity  of  taking 
good  care  of  their  dukeships.  This  was  not  cowardice, 
nor  even  selfishness,  for  had  anything  happened  to  either 
of  these  precious  young  gentlemen,  somebody  high  in  the 
service  would  probably  have  had  to  suffer  severely  for  it. 
As  the  Duke  of  Westminster  said  to  me,  as  he  rode  up, 

"  I  don't  suppose  we  should  be  here  at  all  ;  but  we 
wanted  to  see  something  of  the  fight,  you  know."  They  were 
both  very  proud  of  the  affair  at  the  time,  for  it  was  their 
first  experience  under  fire.  Some  weeks  later  I  asked  the 
Duke  of  Westminster  at  Brandfort  what  he  thought  of  the 
fighting  that  day,  and  he  answered, 

*'  Oh,  it  wasn't  such  a  very  hot  fire,  you  know." 

Coming  back,  after  a  run  up  to  the  house  for  a  drink  of 
water,  to  the  corner  where  the  Maxim  was  at  work,  I  saw 
that  another  attempt  had  been   made  by  the  men  of  the 

236 


THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD 


Welsh  regiment  to  rush  the  Boers  in  the  kopjes.  A  heavy- 
fire  from  the  enemy  drove  them  back,  three  or  four  drop- 
ping, while  several  others  were  slightly  wounded.  I  came 
up  just  in  time  to  see  the  men  falling  back  and  clambering 
over  the  wall. 

Then  two  sets  of  stretcher-bearers  went  out  to  carry  in 
the  wounded  men.      Here  was  a  golden  opportunity  to  get 


Miss  Dresser,  Colonel  Slogget,  the  Duke  of  Westminster,  and  Lord  Cecil 
Manners  of  the  "  Morning  Post,"  en  route  from  London  to  Cape  Town, 
Taken  by  E.  H.  V.  Melville. 

photographs  of  this  incident,  and  I  went  out  into  the  open 
with  my  kodak  and  snapped  half  a  dozen  films.  The  sun 
was  almost  at  the  horizon,  and  I  was  somewhat  excited.  The 
stretcher-bearers  were  running,  and  when  they  came  back 
to  the  wall  I  had  to  drop  my  camera  to  help  lift  the  stretcher, 
with  its  load,  over  to  safety  behind.  All  this  resulted  in 
my  pictures  being  partly  spoiled,  either  by  insufficient  ex- 
posure, due  to  poor  light,  or  else,  in  my  excitement,  I  moved 
the  camera  and  blurred  the  photographs.     About  ten  min- 

'^17 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

utes  after  the  last  man  was  brought  in  I  was  standing  by 
the  Maxim  when  a  Tommy  called  to  me,  **  The  Captain  is 
still  out  there."  While  he  was  pointing  out  to  me  just 
where  the  Captain  fell,  I  saw  a  tall  figure  jump  over  the  wall 
some  distance  below  me  and  run  out  to  where  the  Captain 
lay,  sixty  to  a  hundred  yards  out,  he  having  fallen  at  least 
twenty-five  yards  ahead  of  any  of  his  men.  It  was  an  am- 
bulance surgeon,  whose  name  I  afterward  learned  was 
Moore.  Going  up  to  the  Captain,  he  quickly  laid  down  be- 
side him.  At  first  I  thought  he  had  been  shot,  but  after  a 
minute's  examination  he  stood  up,  and  I  saw  him  trying  to 
lift  the  wounded  Captain  upon  his  shoulder.  The  officer 
was  a  heavy  man,  and  the  doctor  was  having  a  good  bit  of 
trouble.  Just  then  at  their  feet  I  saw  a  splash  of  dust  a 
foot  or  so  high,  then  another  and  another,  and  I  knew  that 
the  enemy  was  firing  on  them.  ''  Great  Scott !  They  don't 
see  that  they  are  firing  on  a  rescuing  party,"  I  thought. 

I  ran  out  to  help  the  doctor,  and  as  I  came  up  to  him  he 
said,  "  Help  me  get  him  on  my  back."  I  tried,  but  the  man 
was  too  heavy,  so  the  doctor  rolled  the  upper  half  of  him 
into  my  arms,  holding  the  other  end  himself,  and  we  started 
to  run  back.  Half  way  we  dropped  our  burden  for  a  rest. 
*'Zing!  zing!"  sounded  overhead. 

"Why,  those  devils  are  shooting  at  us  !"  I  gasped. 

"Certainly,  answered  the  doctor.  "  Come,  we  mustn't  stay 
here.  Don't  stop  to  lift  him  ;  take  hold  of  his  straps  !" 
and,  seizing  him  by  his  belt  and  breast-leathers,  we  dragged 
him  another  twenty-five  yards.  Then  two  Tommies  came 
to  our  help,  and  the  four  of  us  lifted  the  Captain  and  carried 
him  back  and  over  the  wall,  and  laid  him  down  on  the  clean 
grass  behind  the  Maxim,  where  further  surgical  assistance 
came  to  Dr.  Moore.  I  went  over  to  where  the  Dukes  were 
sitting,  and,  thoroughly  exhausted,  threw  myself  down  on 
the  ground  to  rest. 

238 


THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD 


The  thought  that  the  Boers  had  been  shooting  at  the 
doctor  and  while  we  were  plainly  a  rescuing  party  put 
me  in  a  fury.  I  thought  to  myself,  ''  They  didn't  hit  us 
because  they  were  in  their  hearts  so  ashamed  of  their  act 
that  they  could  not  aim  straight."     An  officer  came  up, 

and,  pointing  to  a 
smear  of  blood  on 
my  breast  and 
sleeve,  said,  "  I 
hope  you  are  not 
hurt?"  No,  I 
wasn't,  but    I  was 


Men  of  the  Welsh  Regi- 
ment exposing  them- 
selves to  the  enemy's 
fire  to  help  the  stretch- 
er-bearers lift  their 
burden  over  the  stone 
wall. 

getting  very  angry, 

Then    as  I  thouo-ht     ^^^  stretcher-bearers  of  the  Welsh  Regiment  re- 
-        '  ,.^,  turning   to   the   stone  wall,  under   fire,    with  a 

of    how     my    little        wounded  comrade. 

mare      had      been 

crippled — the  one  that  a  night  or  so  before  had  stepped 
over  me  while  I  was  half-asleep  on  the  veldt,  carefully  lifting 
her  feet  so  as  not  to  step  on  me — a  lump  seemed  to  come 
up  in  my  throat,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  to  a  moist- 
ening of  the  eyes.     Just  then  I  heard  the  men  shouting, 

239 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

"  There  they  go  !     They're  clearing  !" 

I  jumped  up,  and  there,  sure  enough,  were  those  ant-Hke 
specks  on  the  veldt,  half  a  mile  away,  swiftly  gliding  up 
the  slope  of  the  veldt  toward  the  kopjes.  The  soldiers 
all  around  were  firing  furiously.  The  thought  of  my  little 
mare  and  the  wounded  Captain  urged  me  to  action.  I  took 
a  rifle  out  of  a  Tommy's  hand,  and,  lifting  it  to  my  shoulder, 
took  a  long,  careful  aim  at  the  little  group  of  fast-riding 
Boers.      My  finger  was  on  the  trigger,  and  I  was  about  to 


"  The  orderly  in  the  way."     Sir  John  Milbank,  General  Dickson  and  General 
French.      (See  page  243.) 

pull  ;  but  something  seemed  to  say,  "  You'll  be  sorry  for 
this  some  day,"  and  I  dropped  the  gun  for  a  second.  I 
raised  it  again  with  a  smile  at  my  sentimentality ;  and  then, 
as  I  shifted  it  a  little  to  get  the  range,  which  had  in- 
creased considerably  in  the  few  seconds  I  had  wasted,  I 
seemed  to  see  a  familiar  picture  in  one  of  my  old  school- 
books.  It  was  the  rough  wood-cut  of  the  gathering  at 
Lexington,  showing  several  dead  bodies  stretched  on  the 
village  green,  with  a  file  of  redcoats,  smoking  rifles  in  hand, 

240 


THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD 


drawn  up  opposite ;  then  out  of  the  retreat  to  Boston, 
with  Yankee  Boers  behind  every  tree  and  farm  wall  pour- 
ing their  flint-lock  fire  on  the  disordered  column,  while  the 
church-bells  all  over  the  country  were  ringing  wildly  ;  then 
I  saw  the  charge  up  Bunker's  Hill,  the  disordered  flight 
down,  the  final  taking  of  the  crest  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet;    in  short,  the   **  Shot   heard    round  the    world" 


The  Ninth  Lancer  cuts  the  wire  fencing.      Notice  the  stone  posts,  which  are 
less  costly  than  wood. 

came  thundering  down  the  century  into  the  heart  of  the 
veldt,  and  I  heard  its  echo  in  South  Africa.  These  are  the 
things  I  seemed  to  see  and  hear  while  looking  through  the 
sights  of  a  British  rifle  in  the  Free  State  ;  and  as  I  realized 
that  those  little  black  specks,  now  almost  reaching  the 
cover  of  the  kopjes,  were  merely  minute-men  of  an- 
other century  riding  for  freedom  that  they  might  con- 
tinue to  fight  for  liberty  and  independence,  as  my  ances- 
»6  241 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


tors  had  doubtless  done  many  times,  I  dropped  the  rifle, 
and  to  this  day  I  devoutly  thank  God  I  did  not  fire  the 
shot.  Since  then  the  waving  folds  of  the  American 
Flag  have  had  a  different  meaning  to  me,  and  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  adopt  a  British  custom  in  respect  to  it — the 
Englishman    always    raises    his    hat  when    he    passes    his 

country's  flag. 

The  next  day,  after 
photographing  the 
ladies,  I  rode  on  to 
catch  up  with  General 
French,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  two 
divisions.  About  ten 
o'clock  I  met  General 
Dickson,  in  command 
of  the  cavalry,  who 
seemed  somewhat 
amused  at  my  request 
for  a  pose,  but  wilHngly 
stood  while  I  aimed  my 
kodak  at  him.  He  ad- 
vised me  to  remain  with 
him,  and  promised  that 
I  would  see  some  more 
fighting.  Shortly  afterward  several  shots  rang  out  from  a  near- 
by farm.  A  barb-wire  fence  prevented  the  approach  of  the 
squadron  ordered  out  to  occupy  the  place,  and  I  succeeded 
in  taking  the  picture  of  a  very  nervous  Tommy  in  the  act 
of  cutting  the  wires.  The  enemy  retired  on  the  advance 
of  the  troops,  and  the  farm  buildings  were  burned.  Soon 
we  met  General  French,  and  while  the  two  generals  were 
talking  I  attempted  to  photograph  them.  Finding  some 
difficulty,  I  asked  General  French  to  request  his  orderly 

242 


General  Gordon  looks  at  the  enemy's  posi 
tion  for  General  French,  Sir  John  Mil 
bank  coming  up  behind. 


THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD 

to  get  out  of  the  way.  A  peculiar  smile  passed  over  his 
face  as,  in  reply,  he  introduced  me  to  Sir  John  Milbank, 
one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  England,  and  the  winner  of 
the  first  Victoria  Cross  awarded  during  the  war.  Sir  John 
recognized  the  introduction  rather  coldly,  and  there  was  a 
general  grin  on  the  faces  of  the  rest  of  the  staff  However, 
one  of  the  richest  men  in  England  did  move  out  of  my  way, 
and  I  secured  a  picture  of  the  two  cavalry  Generals  who  did 
most  of  the  fighting  in  this  war. 


Advance  line  waiting  the  order  to  rush  over  the  ridge  of  the  kopje.  The 
Boer  position  is  less  than  two  hundred  yards  distant.  Dead  and  wounded 
only  on  top  of  the  ridge. 


Continuing  the  march,  in  about  an  hour  we  reached  an- 
other wire  fence,  supported  on  stone  pillars,  for  stone  was 
cheaper  than  wood  in  that  country.  While  one  of  the 
Ninth  Lancers  was  cutting  the  wires,  I  took  another  pho- 
tograph ;  and,  by  a  strange  coincidence,  I  was  to  take  an- 
other picture  of  him  before  nightfall,  but  under  very  dif- 
ferent circumstances. 

We  had  hardly  passed  through  the  cutting  when  one  of 
the  scouts  came  galloping  back  to   General   French  with 

243 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

the  report  that  a  body  of  about  two  hundred  Boers  were 
coming  up  to  a  ridge  of  kopjes  a  mile  in  front.  Two  regi- 
ments were  ordered  to  occupy  the  ridge,  while  the  Generals 
and  their  staffs  turned  to  the  right  and  rode  up  on  a  small 
kopje  half  a  mile  farther  away.  Through  the  eyes  of  Sir 
John  Milbank,  who  used  a  telescope,  and  of  several  other 
officers  who  were  similarly  occupied,  General  French 
watched  the  movements.  Firing  by  this  time  was  heavy. 
After  an  hour  or  more  the  artillery  were  ordered  up  to  the 
ridge.  I  made  a  short  cut  across  the  valley,  hearing,  as  I 
rode,  a  strange  whispering  murmur  high  overhead.  This 
was  the  sound  of  bullets  aimed  at  the  Generals'  staffs,  and 


On  top  of  ihe  ridge.      The  Ninth  Lancer  wire-cutter  shown  on  page   241. 
Shot  through  the  heart  in  the  first  encounter. 


shortly  after  I  left  a  horse  was  hit  within  a  short  distance 
of  General  French.  As  I  reached  the  ridge  the  artillery, 
which  had  preceded  me  at  a  gallop,  were  retiring.  The 
rifle  firing  had  ceased,  the  regiments  were  marching  back. 
I  was  about  to  mount  the  summit  when  I  heard  a  shot, 
then  a  squeal  like  a  pig,  then  a  man  came  hopping  down, 
holding  one  foot  in  his  hand.  A  few  lancers  came  by  at 
the  same  time.  We  put  the  wounded  man  on  a  horse  and 
he  was  taken  to  the  rear.  On  his  advice  I  remained  where 
I  was,  for  he  said,  "  There  are  only  dead  and  wounded  on 
top,  and  the  Boers  are  only  two  hundred  yards  away." 
Then  he  and  his  bearers  left  me,  while  I  waited  for  the  re- 
inforcements.    In  ten  minutes  I  discovered,  to  my  disgust, 

244 


THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD 

that  the   British  had   been  retreating   to   the  ridge  I  had 
left 

Then  the  enemy  opened  fire  with  cannon  and  pom-poms, 
aiming  close  to  the  summit  beneath  which  I  was  waiting. 
A  few  of  their  shells  fell  short  and  exploded  near  by,  still 
further  increasing  my  disgust.  I  then  realized  that  it  was 
too  late  for  me  to  retire,  as  the  enemy  had  probably  occu- 
pied the  near  ridge,  and  by  going  back  I  would  only  expose 


On  top  of  the  ridge.  Four  more  of  the  Ninth  Lancers.  Captain  Stanley 
mortally  wounded,  at  the  left.  Shot  within  fifty  yards  of  the  Boer 
position. 

myself  to  their  fire  at  close  range.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
they  did  come  up  to  the  ridge,  taking  rifles,  field-glasses 
and  pistols  from  the  wounded  men  on  top,  and  then  retired 
to  their  former  positions. 

In  another  quarter  of  an  hour  several  regiments  and  the 
artillery  returned,  and  then  for  another  hour  they  lay  along 
the  back  of  the  ridge  in  readiness  to   open  fire  when   the 

245 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

flank  movement  of  a  portion  of  the  cavalry  should  compel 
the  Boers  to  leave  their  position.  This  was  accomplished, 
the  cavalry  riding  four  or  five  miles  to  get  around,  and 
then  the  majority  of  the  Boers  began  their  retreat.  Before 
this  I  had  amused  myself  and  a  lot  of  the  soldiers  by  hold- 
ing my  hat  up  in  the  air  on  my  riding-whip  ;  and,  strange  to 
say,  while  the  Boers  are  good  shots,  out  of  twenty,  at  least, 
fired  at  my  hat,  not  a  single  bullet  took  effect.     When  the 


On  top  of  the  ridge.  Captain  Stanley,  of  the  Ninth  Lancers,  mortally 
wounded.  The  ambulance  men  dressing  his  wounds  on  the  field.  Cap- 
tain Stanley  died  a  few  days  later  from  exhaustion  and  loss  of  blood, 
having  received  three  bad  wounds. 

first  lot  of  Boers  started  to  ride  off  a  few  of  our  men  began 
to  fire  at  them,  but  immediately  stopped,  for  the  enemy, 
safely  covered  by  a  stone  wall  only  a  short  distance  away, 
picked  them  off  as  soon  as  they  showed  themselves.  And 
so  about  forty  men  held  back  the  English  and  covered  the 
retreat  of  their  comrades,  and  then  one  by  one  they,  too, 
rode  off.  If  the  English  had  but  known — but  "if"  is  the 
most  significant  word  in  war. 

246 


THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD 

When  the  firing  ceased  I  ran  over  the  crest  of  the  ridge, 
and  almost  fell  over  a  man  lying  on  his  face.  I  rolled 
him  over  and  saw  he  was  dead,  shot  through  the  heart 
Then,  as  the  sun  was  shining  brightly  on  him,  I  stepped 
back  and  photographed  him — the  body  of  the  same  man 
photographed  a  few  hours  before,  while  cutting  a  wire 
fence. 

Meanwhile  the  artillery  had  been  brought  into  position, 
and  was  threatening  destruction  to  the  small  groups  of 
Boers  riding  across  the  veldt  without  the  slightest  cover, 
the  shells  following  them  for  at  least  three  miles  ;  but,  as 


On  top  of  the  ridge.     The  last  man  in  the  group  of  four.     Though  mortally 
wounded,  the  sergeant  wants  a  smoke,  and  gets  it. 

far  as  I  could  learn  afterward,  without  effect.  By  this  time 
more  men  were  following  me  over  the  ridge,  and  I  took 
another  photograph,  showing  four  soldiers  who  had  fallen 
comparatively  close  together,  the  first  quite  dead,  the  others 
mortally  wounded.  One  of  them  was  a  captain  whom  I 
watched  while  the  field  surgeon  bound  up  his  wounds.  He 
died  the  following  day  from  exhaustion,  having  had  a  leg 
broken  in  two  places,  causing  great  loss  of  blood.  The 
last  man  had  received  hasty  relief  when  I  came  up  to  him 
and  offered  assistance.  All  I  could  do  was  to  fill  his  pipe, 
and  I  left  him   contentedly  smoking  and   waiting  for  the 

247 


WITH  -  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

stretcher-bearers.  Then  I  went  over  to  the  deserted  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy  and  found  one  dead  Boer,  his  arms  and 
bandolier  already  taken  away  by  the  English.  This  was 
the  only  man  killed  on  their  side,  and  but  two  had  been 
wounded,  yet  their  party  had  caused  a  loss  of  thirty-six 
to  the  English  and  held  in  check  for  five  hours  General 
French's  division  of  five  thousand  men. 


On  top  of  the  ridge  in  the  Boer  position.  The  only  dead  Boer  I  ever  saw, 
and  one  of  the  forty  who,  acting  as  rear  guard  for  the  commando  of 
two  hundred,  held  back  General  French's  entire  Brigade  of  five  thousand 
men  for  five  hours.  This  is  *'  the  one  killed  "  of  the  despatches.  British 
loss  at  the  same  place,  thirty-six. 

Riding  back  toward  the  headquarters  staff,  I  passed  a 
little  group  of  men  and  officers  around  several  Kaffirs 
who  were  digging  a  hole  in  the  ground,  and  near  by, 
wrapped  in  his  blanket,  I  took  my  third  and  last  pho- 
tograph of  the  lancer  who  had  cut  his  last  wire.  In  con- 
trast with  this  scene,  a  little  farther  away  was  a  Kaffir 
kraal,  where  the  Tommies  were  in  high  glee  over  an 
opportunity  to    buy    fresh   eggs    and    chickens    from    the 

248 


THE  SHOT  HEARD  ROUND  THE  WORLD 

natives  at  ridiculously  low  prices,  and  the  opportunity  to 
loot  a  few. 

The  next  day,  while  with  General  Dickson,  we  met 
Colonel  Richardson,  from  Rundle's  division,  and  found 
that  the  enemy,  about  five  thousand  strong,  had  slipped 
away  and  escaped  because  they  did  not  beheve,  as  did  the 
English,  that  three  sides  of  a  square  covered  by  British 
troops  meant  that  they  were  surrounded.  Later  I  was  a 
witness  of  the  meeting  between  General  Rundle  and  Gen- 


On  top  of  the  ridge.     Last  picture  of  the  Ninth  Lancer  wire-cutter — burial  on 

the  field. 


eral  French,  when  the  latter,  having  made  a  blunder  dam- 
aging to  his  reputation,  roundly  abused  General  Rundle  for 
the  mistake  he  himself  had  made  ;  but  such  abuse  is  among 
the  privileges  of  commanding  officers,  and  is  a  time-honored 
custom. 

Leaving  the  army*  halted  on  the  veldt,  I  galloped  on  to 
Dewetsdorp,  meeting  some  of  General  Chermside's  troops 
on  their  way  out.  They  had  occupied  the  city  the 
evening  before.  At  the  Free  State  Hotel  I  met  a  lot 
of   the    correspondents    who    had    been    with    the    Third 

249 


WITH  *'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

division  at  Sterkstrom  when  I  was  with  General  Gatacre, 
and  we  had  a  highly  enjoyable  time  after  our  long  sepa- 
ration. Early  the  next  morning  I  started  back  to  Bloem- 
fontein. 


250 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

WAR    ON    WOMEN,    CHILDREN    AND    HOMES. 

DURING  this  futile  pursuit  of  De  Wet,  the  raider,  I  had 
spent  sufficient  time  on  the  extreme  advance  line  to 
be  an  eye-witness  to  the  great  consideration  shown  to  the 
families  of  the  warring  burghers  whenever  the  troops  came 
up  to  a  farmhouse.  Everything  the  advance  line  took  for 
their  use,  from  eggs  and  chickens  to  cattle  and  forage,  was 
paid  for  on  the  spot.  On  my  return  to  Bloemfontein  over 
the  same  path  I  found  that  the  stragglers  had  not  been  so 
considerate.  One  farm  where  I  spent  the  night  had  been 
completely  denuded  even  of  the  shrubbery  and  trees  about 
the  house.  Where  there  had  been  plenty  of  stock,  several 
hundred  chickens  and  geese,  and  forage  in  plenty,  the 
poor  Dutch  vrouw  did  not  have  left  in  the  house  even 
enough  rye  bread  for  a  single  meal.  She  had  been  paid 
for  a  few  of  her  things,  but  the  rest  had  been  stolen  by  the 
stragglers. 

At  another  point  I  stopped  at  a  farmhouse  where  half  a 
dozen  soldiers  were  chasing  and  catching  the  few  chickens 
that  remained.  This  was  directly  contrary  to  regulations, 
so  I  asked  the  men  what  authority  they  had  for  foraging. 
They  replied  that  one  of  their  officers  had  helped  himself, 
and  they  saw  no  reason  why  they  should  not  follow  his  ex- 
ample. By  the  gate,  with  her  frightened  children  hanging  to 
her  skirts,  the  hausvrouw  stood  crying  bitterly.  There  was 
nothing  to  be  done  ;  the  woman  was  bound  to  be  robbed 
sooner  or  later  anyway,  and  the  few  shillings  I  might  have 
compelled  the  soldiers  to  give  her  would  be  of  very  Httle 

251 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

help.  I  foresaw  that  if  much  of  this  sort  of  thing  was 
to  take  place,  the  British  would  have  to  resort  to  Wey- 
ler's  reconcentrado  policy,  and  collect  all  the  women  and 
children  in  the  towns  and  cities  to  prevent  starvation. 

Nearer  Bloemfontein  I  came  upon  a  more  striking  and 
pitiable  scene  of  desolation.  This  was  a  farmhouse  where 
a  few  days  before  I  had  turned  aside  from  the  column  to 
get  a  glass  of  water.     The  hausvrouw  had  sent  her  little 


General  F.  Stevenson  of  General  French's  division,  and  Colonel  Richardson, 
of  General  Rundle's  division,  meeting  four  miles  outside  of  Dewetsdorp. 
**  Where  is  DeWet?" 

girl  for  the  water,  which  she  brought  me  in  a  pretty  china 
cup.  General  French's  Chief  of  Staff  was  talking  to  the 
burgher,  who  was  one  of  those  who  had  surrendered  his 
arms  and  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance.  Several  white  flags 
were  flying  overhead  as  a  sign  of  neutrality.  This  place 
was  entirely  in  ashes,  still  smoking.  The  farmer's  wife  and 
children  were  camped  in  an  outbuilding,  with  a  few  articles 
of  bedding  saved  from  the  house.      I  had  seen  the  smoke 

252 


WAR  ON  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN 

of  the  burning  house  half  an  hour  after  I  had  left  it,  but 
supposed  it  was  only  a  huge  pile  of  forage  being  con- 
sumed to  avoid  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Boers.  I 
learned  that  just  after  I  left  the  place  a  party  of  Boers 
had  occupied  the  farm,  and  one  of  their  pickets  had  fired 
on  the  scouts  of  the  passing  army.  Information  of  this 
was  conveyed  to  the  British  General.  He  ordered  out  a 
squadron    of  horse  to  clear  the  farm   of  the  Boers,  which 


General  French  and  General  Rundle  meet  near  Dewetsdorp  and  discuss  Gen- 
eral De  Wet's  escape.     Three  sides  of  a  square  closed  don't  make  a  trap. 


they  did.  Then  the  place  was  burned  ;  the  old  burgher  and 
his  son  were  made  prisoners.  I  afterward  met  the  officer 
who  had  charge  of  this  work,  and  he  said  ''  It  was  the 
most  miserable  piece  of  business  I  have  ever  had  to  do." 
His  men  poured  oil  over  the  furniture  and  woodwork, 
allowing  only  a  few  of  the  barest  necessaries  to  be  removed  ; 
and  then,  despite  the  pitiable  pleadings  of  the  women  and 
children  and  the  frantic  protests  of  the  old,  white-haired 
grandfather,  the  torch  was  applied,  and  one  more  desolate 

253 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

home  was  added  to  the  already  too  long  list  which  this 
unhappy  war  had  produced. 

This  was  but  the  beginning.  I  was  half-prepared  for 
what  was  to  follow,  for  I  had  heard  at  Dewetsdorp  that, 
since  the  expedition  had  been  a  failure,  orders  had  been 
issued  from  Bloemfontein  that  no  more  supplies  would  be 
sent  out  to  French's  division.  This  meant  that  they  were 
to  live  off  the  country,  and  that,  somehow,  excuses  were 
to  be  found  to  ignore  the  proclamations  of  protection  guar- 
anteed by  the  Field  Marshal.  So  parties  of  scouts  were 
sent  out  to  search  the  farms  for  concealed  weapons  and 
ammunition.  A  rusty  old  gun  or  a  handful  of  forgotten 
cartridges  was  sufficient  evidence  ;  then  the  cattle,  sheep 
and  horses  were  rounded  up,  all  the  carts  about  the  place 
loaded  with  anything  of  value  the  marauders  desired,  the 
match  was  applied,  and  a  few  prisoners  were  added  to 
the  already  over-long  lists. 

Between  twenty  and  thirty  homesteads  were  destroyed 
between  Dewetsdorp  and  Bloemfontein  to  my  certain  knowl- 
edge, and  it  is  very  probable  that  twice  that  number  were 
added  to  the  list  by  other  detachments  of  French's  troops. 

In  each  case — after  the  punishment  had  been  inflicted — 
some  form  of  trial  was  given  at  Bloemfontein.  Of  course 
the  prisoners  had  very  little  opportunity  to  defend  them- 
selves, and  usually  they  were  convicted  and  sent  to  Cape 
Town.  Some  show  of  justice  was  obtained,  however.  The 
burgher  who  had  owned  the  first  farm  destroyed,  and  his 
son  also,  were  actually  acquitted,  as  it  was  shown  that  they 
had  not  taken  part  in  the  firing  on  the  troops,  and  had  pro- 
tested against  it ;  so,  after  having  lost  their  home  and  been 
marched  eighty  miles  as  prisoners,  they  were  released.  By 
this  time  the  son  had  gone  insane.  I  doubt  if  any  compen- 
sation was  made  other  than  the  filing  of  their  claims,  to  be 
settled  after  the  conclusion  of  hostilities. 

254 


WAR  ON  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN 

This  policy  of  burning  has  evidently  been  continued  on 
a  much  larger  scale  since  I  left  the  country.  Just  before 
the  close  of  the  year  1900  I  received  a  letter  from  Bloem- 
fontein,  written  by  as  loyal  a  subject  of  the  Republics  as 
ever  lived.  The  letter  read,  **  De  Wet  and  Steyn  are  still 
fighting.  I  wish  they  would  give  in,  for  there  is  no  hope 
that  their  efforts  will  be  of  any  benefit,  and  if  they  continue 
there  will  not  be  a  single  farmhouse  left  standing  in  the 
Free  State."     As  to  the  British  side  of  the  question,  Gen- 


Tommies  buying  chickens  from  natives  for  a  shilling  each.     Only  a  few  were 
looted  from  the  Kafifirs. 

eral  French  returned  to  Bloemfontein,  and  the  London 
papers  published  the  news  that  he  had  brought  in  over  three 
thousand  head  of  cattle,  and  many  more  sheep,  and  a  large 
number  of  horses,  and  that  the  supplies  brought  in  were 
sufficient  in  value  to  defray  the  cost  of  the  expedition. 

On  entering  the  Free  State  and  taking  Bloemfontein, 
Lord  Roberts  had  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  effect  that 
if  the  burghers  would  come  in,  surrender  their  arms,  and 
take  the  oath  of  neutrality,  they  would  receive  passes  from 

255 


WITH  '^  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

the  Provost  Marshal,  and  be  allowed  to  go  back  to  their 
farms.  Many  of  the  burghers  did  this.  Afterward,  owing 
to  Lord  Roberts'  failure  to  give  them  the  promised  protec- 
tion, Boer  raiders  swept  down,  accused  them  of  disloyalty, 
looted  their  farms,  and  escaped  before  troops  could  arrive. 
Later,  when  the  English  needed  supplies,  it  was  not  difficult, 
owing  to  their  own  negligence,  to  find  proof  that  the 
burgher  had  rendered  assistance  to  the  enemy  ;  so  arrests 
and  burnings  followed,  with  confiscation  of  the  remaining 
live  stock  and  real  estate.  Other  burghers,  seeing  their 
neighbors  thus  ground  between  two  millstones,  seeing  that 
in  any  event  they  were  doomed  to  lose  everything,  naturally 
took  up  arms  again  with  their  compatriots,  driven  to  renew 
the  fight  to  the  bitter  end  ;  and  so  all  this  barbarism  of 
warfare  may  be  traced  directly  to  the  kind-hearted  and 
best-intentioned  Lord  Roberts  issuing  a  proclamation 
which,  when  complied  with,  left  the  burghers  defenceless 
against  their  own  people,  while  the  imperial  troops  were 
unable  to  afford  the  protection  which,  in  strict  justice  and 
according  to  promise,  should  have  been  afforded. 


256 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

THE  GENERAL  ADVANCE  NORTHWARD  FROM  BLOEMFONTEIN. 

ON  Sunday  and  Monday,  the  last  two  days  of  April, 
the  journalistic  and  military  atmosphere  of  Bloem- 
fontein  was  heavy  with  rumors  of  the  approaching  general 
advance  northward,  for  which  we  had  been  waiting  impa- 
tiently for  so  long.  All  night  long  the  creaking,  groaning 
transport-carts,  with  their  screaming  native  drivers,  had 
toiled  wearily  through  the  streets,  their  harsh  harmony 
occasionally  varied  by  the  clatter  of  a  mounted  orderly 
riding  at  full  gallop,  until  the  everlasting  iteration  of 
''Halt!  who  goes  there?"  and,  "Advance,  friend,  and 
give  the  countersign,"  of  the  stalwart  sentry  just  out- 
side my  window,  was  followed  by  the  relaxed  and  mechani- 
cal "  Pass,  friend,  all's  well,"  and  the  clatter  of  hoofs  was 
renewed. 

Early  Tuesday  morning,  in  obedience  to  an  impulse  which 
I  have  long  learned  to  trust  implicitly,  I  strolled,  camera 
in  hand,  across  the  market  square.  Some  troops  were 
passing  through  in  heavy  marching  attire,  transports  were 
spaced  in  between,  and  a  huge  traction-engine  was  snorting 
and  rattling  clumsily  by.  I  joined  a  small  group  of  citizens, 
one  or  two  correspondents,  several  ladies  and  a  few  officers 
who  were  watching  the  procession.  One  of  the  correspond- 
ents looked  at  me  significantly ;  his  eyes  dropped  to  my 
camera ;  then  he  looked  at  the  ladies  and  the  two  officers 
with  them,  standing  a  little  apart  from  the  rest  of  us. 
"  Great  Scott !"  thought  I  to  myself,  "  surely  that  little  man 
in  fatigue  uniform  is  Lord  Roberts,  and  the  ladies  are  his 
17  257 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

daughters ;  the  other  officer  is  General  Pole-Carew,  and 
the  sunHght  falls  exactly  right." 

The  camera  opens  with  a  click  ;  the  engine  rolls  by,  and 
Lord  Roberts  half  turns  to  watch  it.  Click  ! — and  I  have  a 
profile.  He  starts  to  walk  away  ;  the  ladies  wait ;  '*  Bobs  " 
turns  around  ;  I  have  the  focus  exactly  ;  I  look  up  to  see 
if  I  have  everything  right,  and  catch  his  eye  while  my  thumb 
is  on  the  button. 

*'  What  are  you  trying  to  do  ?"  ask  his  eyes. 


Lord  Roberts  and  his  daughters  watching  advance  northward  from  Market 
Square,  Bloemfontein.     My  first  photograph  of  him. 


"  Photograph  the  Field  Marshal  "  mine  reply.  I  wait, 
while  for  three  seconds  he  regards  me  gravely  ;  then  a  half 
smile  appears  on  his  kind  face  ;  it  says, 

*'  All  right,  go  ahead  !" 

I  press  the  button  by  His  Excellency's  permission,  close 
the  camera  with  a  snap,  turn  another  film  into  place,  look 
up,  and  find  the  chief  still  watching  me  gravely.  I  am  half- 
frightened,  but  play  the  game  out  by  bringing  my  right 
hand    up  to   my  hat,  giving   the    military  salute.     Lord 

258 


THE  GENERAL  ADVANCE  NORTHWARD 

Roberts  waits  half  a  second,  then  smiles  kindly  again,  and 
turning,  walks  off,  followed  by  the  ladies.  My  interview — 
my  telepathic  interview — with  ''Bobs"  is  over,  and  I  am 
the  richer  by  two  photographs  of  the  Field  Marshal  and 
his  daughters. 

Later  I  had  some  conversation  with  General  Pole-Carew, 
who,  while  not  giving  me  any  direct  advice,  suggested  that 
I  get  on  toward  Karee  Siding  as  quickly  as  possible. 


My  interview  with  "  Bobs,"  and  the  second  photograph. 

While  with  General  French,  on  the  way  to  Dewetsdorp, 
one  morning,  as  I  was  crossing  a  drift,  I  came  on  General 
Pole-Carew.  He  smiled  pleasantly  at  me  as  I  stopped  to 
water  my  horse  beside  his,  and  I  introduced  myself  as  an 
''American  correspondent."  Usually  I  found  this  a  good 
thing  to  do,  and  this  was  no  exception,  for  I  found  "  the 
most  popular  man  in  the  English  army  "  very  delightful  to 
talk  to  about  my  country. 

After  a  few  minutes  we  rode  on  together,  and  I  made 
bold   to  ask   him  how  he  pronounced  his  name  ;   that  is, 

259 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

whether  it  was  "  Pole  Caroo  "  or  **  Pole  Gary."  The  Gen- 
eral laughed  and  said,  **  I  am  always  being  asked  that 
question."  Then  he  told  me  how  it  was  pronounced,  and 
I  would  be  very  glad  to  pass  on  the  information,  but 
unfortunately  I  have  quite  forgotten  it  myself,  and  did 
not  make  a  note  of  it  at  the  time.  But  an  officer  of  the 
Guards  confided  to  me  that  the  General  really  was  "  Polly 
Gary." 

At   noon   I   rode   on  after    the  troops,    over  new   veldt 


General  Pole-Carew  (Pole  Gary?)  in  the  Market  Square,  Bloemfontein. 

which  was  conspicuously  free  from  the  all-pervading 
stenches  of  the  Modder  River  treks,  only  an  occasional 
whiff  taking  me  back  to  the  days  of  Paardeburg,  with 
their  frightful  mortality  of  transport-horses  and  oxen. 

Toward  evening  I  came  within  sight  of  Karee,  where  I 
could  see  the  army  encamped.  I  was  tired,  and  did  not 
care  to  spend  the  night  in  camp,  so  I  tied  my  pony  to  a 
tree  and  slept  blissfully  on  the  open  veldt,  away  from  the 
noise  and  clamor  beyond.  Wednesday  was  a  day  of  rest 
for  the  soldiers,  who   had  marched  twenty-two  miles  the 

260 


THE  GENERAL  ADVANCE  NORTHWARD 

day  before.  I  invaded  the  camp,  found  a  few  friends  who 
informed  me  of  the  plans  for  the  dash  on  Brandfort  the 
next  day  at  sunrise,  and  then  spent  the  rest  of  the  time 
lounging  around  and  taking  a  few  photographs,  until  toward 
evening  I  crept  up  to  the  outposts,  sleeping  there  on  the 
top  of  the  kopjes,  with  my  pony  near  by,  ready  to  ride  on  at 
dawn  with  the  heavy  masses  of  khaki-clad  men  I  saw 
sleeping  on  their  arms  in  the  laagte  below.     The  strictest 


**  Mother,  come  quickly  ;  the  *  Rooineks'  are  searching  the  house,'* 

silence  was  observed.      Not  the  slightest  idea  did  the  Eng- 
lish have  of  the  strength  or  position  of  the  enemy. 

The  Imperial  army  commenced  its  march  at  daybreak. 
General  Stevenson  with  the  Guards,  Welsh,  Warwicks  and 
Essexes,  was  in  the  centre.  General  Tucker  with  the  mounted 
infantry  was  on  the  right  flank.  General  Pole-Carew  was 
on  the  left.  The  flanks  were  to  advance  and  make  an  effort 
to  encircle  the  supposed  Boer  position  at  Brandfort,  fourteen 

261 


WITH  ^^BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 


miles  distant  across  the  open  veldt,  while  Stevenson  with 
the  centfe  expected  to  meet  with  heavy  resistance.  I  was 
soon  in  the  saddle,  picking  my  way  across  the  veldt  with 
the  scouts,  in  advance  of  the  centre. 

There  was  little  fighting  till  toward  noon,  but  I  came 
close  to  that  little,  and  a  few  bullets  zinged  through  the 
air  overhead  as  we  advanced.  Midway  I  came  up  to  a 
farmhouse    from    which    some    hot   firing    had    proceeded 


British  ofificer  examining  the  occupants  of  a  Boer  farmhouse,  from  which  shots 
had  been  fired  on  the  English  scouts. 

shortly  before.  While  I  was  getting  some  milk  and  cakes 
from  the  old  vrouw  several  officers  came  riding  up,  and,  col- 
lecting the  women  together,  put  them  through  an  examina- 
tion in  regard  to  the  firing.  The  house  was  searched  after 
the  women  were  told  to  surrender  any  arms  or  ammunition 
they  had.  A  few  cartridges  were  brought  out,  for  they 
had  been  told  '*  if  we  find  a  single  cartridge  we  will  burn 
the  house  over  your  heads."  The  horses  in  the  stable  and 
two  handsome  wagons  were  commandeered  ;  then  the  ofifi- 

262 


THE  GENERAL  ADVANCE  NORTHWARD 


cers  and  scouts  rode  on,  leaving  badly  frightened  Boer 
women  where  I  had  found  smiling  faces  and  hospitality  an 
hour  before.  Later  I  rode  on  ahead  of  the  scouts,  feeling 
safe  in  the  knowledge  of  the  right  and  left  flank  attacks  to 
be  made,  and  early  in  the  afternoon  raced  madly  along  a 
spruit  with  a  dozen  or  so  of  scouts,  while  a  heavy  can- 
nonading to  the  left  showed  that  at  last  serious  resistance 


> 

^ 

A'     l^p 

^^y  i 

n|i  ^    1 

.V  1 

p    II 

f    H 

Charley  Ross,  the  Canadian  Scout,  first  man  inio  IJrandfort,  rej)orting  to  Gen- 
eral Pole-Carew,  and  showing  him  where  the  different  safes  were  located, 
of  which  Ross  had  commandeered  the  keys. 

of  some  kind  had  been  encountered.  As  I  reached  the 
town  an  incessant  pop-popping  to  the  north  from  a  kopje 
convinced  me  that  the  scouts  were  drawing  fire,  so  I  edged 
away  from  them  and  rode  in  alone.  The  Transvaal  flag 
was  still  flying  over  the  Red  Cross  hospital.  A  hearty 
American  **  Halloo,  there  !"  greeted  me,  and  I  found  my- 
self face   to  face  with  Charley   Ross,  the  Canadian  scout, 

263 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


second  in  command  of  Remington's  **  Tigers."  He  sol- 
emnly assured  me  that  I  was  the  first  correspondent  in 
Brandfort.  After  loudly  boasting  of  the  fact  all  afternoon 
and  evening,  I  was  confronted  with  the  humiliating  fact 
that  Dr.  Conan  Doyle  and  two  other  correspondents  had 
quietly  watched  my  triumphal  entry  from  a  comfortable 
hotel  piazza  while  sipping  the  whiskey  and  soda  ordered 
ten    minutes    before.      Ignorant    of  this,    I    left   Ross   and 


Red  Cross  Hospital  at  Brandfort,  taken  before  the  arrival  of  the  troops,  while 
the  flag  of  the  Republic  was  still  flying.  A  few  minutes  later  it  was  taken 
down  by  order  of  a  Major  in  the  Imperial  army, 

galloped  to  the  hospital.  Several  scouts  were  standing  by, 
and  I  ordered  one  of  them  to  pull  down  the  Transvaal  flag ; 
I  wanted  it  for  a  souvenir.  To  my  disgust  I  learned  it  had 
already  been  appropriated  by  a  Major  somebody  who  had 
gotten  there  before  me  and  had  ordered  the  man  to  guard 
it  until  he  returned  ;  so  I  rode  on  to  the  Free  State  Hotel, 
and  ordered  rooms  and  a  meal  for  myself  and  two  other 
correspondents  with  whom  I  had  been  riding  an  hour  earlier, 
and  with  whom  I  had  agreed  that  the  first  man  in   should 

264 


THE  GENERAL  ADVANCE  NORTHWARD 

engage  accommodations  for  the  other  two.  These  gentle- 
men were  the  Hon.  Robert  Beresford,  representing  the 
Central  News,  and  Mr.  Burdett-Coutts,  representing  him- 
self. I  was  unquestionably  the  first  man  to  register  at  this 
hotel ;  but  before  we  could  get  to  bed,  although  already  in 
possession  of  a  room,  Lord   Roberts  and   his  staff  arrived, 


1 

ml 

^^^^^Hk-V 

1 

■ 

W^mi  j| 

'% 

^1 

■MY 

1 

^J 

1 

■*^*-      <sildll-— ^"""""'^ 

r*"** 

-  \ 

Kaffirs,  discovered  by  Charley  Ross  and  the  author  looting  clothing  from  the 
house  of  the  Brandfort  Landrost,  who  fled  on  the  approach  of  the  British. 
The  Kaffirs  were  arrested  and  afterward  released  with  a  warning. 


and  several  dukes  and  lords  commandeered  the  best  rooms, 
which  "threw  us  out."  Messrs.  Coutts  and  Beresford 
found  other  quarters  for  the  night, — the  first  on  the  floor  of 
the  dining-room,  and  the  second  on  the  floor  of  another 
room  already  occupied.  I,  the  heroic  first  to  register,  hav- 
ing risked  life  and  liberty  to  get  there  in  time,  had  to  sleep 
in  my  own  blankets  in   the  forage-room  in  the  back  yard, 

265 


WITH  -BOBS''  AND  KRUGER 


cold  and  draughty  as  the  veldt  itself.  A  staff  officer  com- 
ing in  rather  late  was  equally  unfortunate.  Two  things, 
however,  recompensed  me.  The  Duke  of  Westminster, 
richest  peer  of  all  England,  in  coming  out  of  the  lighted 
hall  into  the  darkness  of  the  front  stoop  collided  with  the 
improvised  lavatory,  consisting  of  a  wicker  chair  and  huge 
basin  of  very  dirty  water  just  abandoned  by  some  other 
titled  excellency.  The  result  was  a  gloriously  effective 
spill,  from  the  debris  of  which  some  six  feet  of  concen- 
trated and  irate  British 
aristocracy  rose  in  pur- 
ple indignation,  while  I 
and  another  American, 
back  in  a  dark  corner, 
the  only  ones  who  saw 
anything  funny  in  the 
incident,  nearly  stran- 
gled in  the  effort  to 
suppress  our  merri- 
ment. Half  a  dozen 
colonels  and  brigadiers 
ran  to  the  Duke's  as- 
sistance ;  for  the  rich- 
est nobleman  of  all 
England  to  fall  from  his  dignified  altitude  of  six  feet  to  kiss 
his  mother  earth  midst  a  general  mix-up  of  basin,  chair  and 
dirty  water,  was  a  serious  affair.  But  the  two  American  de- 
generates in  the  dark  corner,  as  soon  as  it  was  safe  to  move, 
walked  leisurely  up  the  road  for  fifty  yards  or  so  ;  then  one 
of  them  shied  a  stick  at  a  cur  dog,  which  ran  yelping  away, 
while  the  two  said  degenerates  doubled  up  with  laughter — 
at  the  dog,  of  course. 

The  other  source  of  compensation  was  suggested  by  my 
roommate,  the  belated  staff  officer.       We  both  comman- 

266 


Three  Burghers  captured  at  Brandfort,  one 
wearing  khaki.      All  three  still  defiant. 


THE  GENERAL  ADVANCE  NORTHWARD 

deered  enough  forage  during  the  night  to  make  our  horses 
swell  up  like  balloons  by  morning.  This  may  be  a  bit  ex- 
aggerated, yet  my  pony  carried  me  back  forty  miles  to 
Bloemfontein  the  next  day  without  a  stumble — a  feat  im- 
possible to  a  horse  that  had  not  been  well  fed. 

This  advance  toward  Pretoria,  as  far  as  Brandfort,  showed 
clearly  that  the  Boers  did  not  intend  to  make  any  serious 
resistance.  '*  Bobs  "  had  them  on  the  run,  and  evidently 
would  be  able  to  keep  them  so.  Somehow  I  felt  like  going 
back  to  Cape  Town.  I  had  enough  money  in  hand  to  get 
me  back  to  America,  and  thought  that  that  was  why  I  w^as 
going  back.  The  **  Daily  Express  "  regular  correspondent 
was  taken  sick,  and  I  was  offered  his  position, — ordinarily  a 
brilliant  opportunity  that  any  sane  man  would  jump  at.  I 
didn't  feel  for  the  job,  but  refused  it.  Strangely  enough, 
it  was  the  wisest  thing  to  do,  as  subsequent  events  clearly 
proved.  There  was  no  more  fighting  of  any  consequence. 
The  Boers  had  begun  their  long  trek  to  the  northward,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  skirmishes,  the  evolutions  of 
the  opposing  forces  resolved  themselves  into  mere  retreat 
and  pursuit. 


267 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

FAREWELL    TO    THE    ARMY  AND    THE    FREE    STATE. 

ABOUT  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  May  4th  I 
started  back  for  Bloemfontein,  after  shaking  hands 
for  the  last  time  with  the  chief  press  Censor,  Lord  Stanley. 
Riding  through  the  streets,  I  met  many  of  my  old  friends. 
Out  on  the  veldt  the  rest  of  the  army  was  straggling  in,  with 
an  occasional  belated  correspondent  urging  his  weary  outfit 
along,  grumbling  at  this,  that  or  the  other  cause  of  his  being 
a  day  late  in  reaching  Brandfort.  Most  of  these  were  my 
friends,  and  each  cost  me  from  ten  minutes  to  half  an  hour's 
time  in  mutual  expressions  of  good-will  and  good-fellowship. 
I  met  and  passed  many  contingents  of  troops  whose  officers 
had  entertained  me  with  everything  from  whiskey  and  soda 
to  several  days'  hospitality.  The  whole  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles  back  to  the  Glen  was  a  continuous,  long-drawn- 
out  farewell  to  the  Imperial  army.  Half  way  I  met  the 
foreign  attaches  riding  along  in  a  body.  Captain  Slocum, 
of  the  U.  S.'.army,  was  among  them,  and  shouted  after  me, 
as  we  parted,  **  Give  my  best  love  to  all  the  Yanks,  when- 
ever and  wherever  you  meet  them."  Finally  the  last  lum- 
bering transport  bringing  up  the  rear  creaked  wearily  out 
of  sight,  and  I  rode  on  over  the  delightfully  green  and 
fresh  veldt,  so  charmingly  free  from  the  odorous  carcasses 
and  loathsome  vultures  which  distinguished  the  Modder 
River  treks — a  welcome  proof  of  the  highly  improved  con- 
dition of  the  Imperial  transport  service. 

My  old  instinct  for  breaking  new  trails  soon  led  me  to 
deviate  from  the  beaten  tracks,  and  to  ride  on  toward  a 

268 


FAREWELL  TO  ARMY  AND  FREE   STATE 

distant  farm  in  line  with  the  big  kopjes  behind  Bloemfon- 
tein,  which  loomed  up  faintly  twenty  miles  away.  I  kept 
going  steadily  all  day,  so  nightfall  found  me  weary  and 
hungry,  as  well  as  tormented  with  excruciating  pains  in  the 
back  and  neck.  Still  half  an  hour  out  from  the  city,  I 
arrived  at  the  centre  building  of  a  succession  of  rambling 
outhouses  and  barns  belonging  to  a  typical  Boer  farm.  A 
dusky  figure  stood  in  the  road  ahead  of  me.  It  was  a 
soldier  on  guard,  protecting  the  property  against  marauders. 


^r^^mmmm 

l^fil^^^^mC^^^O^ 

j^  -^^ 

The  Canadian  Scout  Charley  Ross  in  consultation  with  a  staff-oflicer  at  Brand- 
fort. 


At  my  request  he  called  a  Kaffir  servant,  whom  I  de- 
spatched into  the  maze  of  buildings  in  search  of  his  niaster. 
Soon  an  old,  long  white-haired,  and  equally  white-bearded, 
burgher  came  out.  I  told  him  in  a  few  words  that  I  was 
sick,  and  craved  his  hospitality  for  a  few  hours  before  con- 
tinuing my  journey.  The  old  man  helped  me  off  my  horse, 
sent  it  off  to  the  stable  with  the  *' boy,"  took  me  into  the 
house,  and  put  me  to  bed  in  his  guest-chamber,  where,  on 
a  feather-bed,  between  clean  white  sheets,  I  soon  fell  asleep, 
while  the  old  man  sat  by  the  bed  talking  to  me  like  a  father 

269 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

whose  boy  has  come  home  after  a  long  journey.  Then  he 
left  me,  coming  back  after  several  hours  to  tell  me,  as  I 
awoke  and  roused  myself  to  go  on  to  town,  that  I  had 
better  stay  until  morning  and  rest.  After  breakfast  I  left 
this  old  homestead,  my  host  accepting  just  five  shillings, 
the  regular  price  for  the  forage  my  horse  had  consumed. 
As  for  my  own  meals  and  accommodations,  I  had  been  his 
"guest,"  and  seeing  that  he  would  have  it  that  way,  I  was 
content.     To  him  I  had  been  an  officer  of  the  Queen's  army, 


The  Brandfort  Hotel,  headquarters  of  Field  Marshal  Lord  Roberts  and  Staff. 

an  enemy  of  his  country ;  but,  for  all  that,  he  had  given  his 
best  to  the  stranger  coming  to  his  gates  after  nightfall. 

Bloemfontein  had  already  settled  down  into  a  half-sleepy 
condition  again.  A  small  army  of  occupation  still  hung 
about  its  outskirts,  but  the  hotels  and  club  were  empty  of 
the  crowd  of  officers  that  had  filled  their  halls  and  rooms 
a  week  before,  and  the  few  transports  and  khaki-clad  occu- 
pants of  the  streets  had  the  leisurely  air  of  permanency — 
in  short,  the  atmosphere  was  already  that  of  the  normal 
for  the   next  year  or  so,  until   peace   and  loyalty  to   the 

270 


FAREWELL  TO  ARMY  AND   FREE  STATE 

Queen  might  be  assured  and  all  troops  could  be  withdrawn. 
That  evening  I  attended  a  bazar  and  oyster  supper  in  the 
town  hall,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Boer  prisoners  at  St. 
Helena.  Few  officers  attended,  and  none  of  the  pro-British 
townspeople,  but  the  Boer  families  came  out  in  force  ;  and 
as  I  sat  at  a  little  fairy  lamp-hghted  table  talking  to  some 
of  the  young  ladies,  whose  every  tone  vibrated  with  sorrow 
for  the  loss  of  their  country's  independence, — as  I  looked 
into  the  blue  eyes  of  some  of  these  belles  of  the  Free  State, 
— I  found  myself  wondering  whether,  perhaps,  it  would  not 
be  better  to  seek  and  find  a  way  to  remain  for  all  time  ;  to 
become  one  of  them,  and  live  out  my  years  in  an  effort  to 
successfully  fit  myself  into  the  machinery  of  reconstruction. 
Then  my  harsher  Northern  philosophy  asserted  itself;  I 
reflected  that  the  Free  State  must  be  of  necessity  the  Poland 
of  South  Africa  ;  that  sighs,  and  even  tears  of  sympathy, 
would  doubtless  be  expended  in  great  quantity  to  no  avail ; 
so  in  a  few  confidential  conversations  I  reminded  my 
stricken  friends  that  **  Though  the  mills  of  the  gods  grind 
slowly,  yet  they  grind  exceeding  fine." 

The  Free  State  is  conquered  for  the  time  being,  as  is  also 
the  Transvaal.  Some  of  their  people  have  resigned  them- 
selves to  the  inevitable.  Others  are  still  out  on  the  veldt 
in  arms,  bound  by  strange  oaths  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end 
till  death.  Putting  aside  my  prejudices  and  sympathies,  I 
could  not  help  seeing  plainly  that  the  war  had  but  given 
new  birth  and  strength  to  the  cause  of  Afrikanderdom  ; 
which,  though  it  may  slumber  for  many  years,  yet  sooner 
or  later  will  again  burst  forth  ;  and  a  future  United  States 
of  South  Africa  is  as  inevitable  as  it  is  that,  in  the  natural 
course  of  events,  all  children,  on  their  approaching  ma- 
turity, must  and  will  become  self-supporting  and  indepen- 
dent. With  all  its  greatness,  the  British  Empire  cannot 
hope  to  rule  forever  either  its  natural  or  adopted  children. 

271 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

CONVERSION    OF    "  LOOT  "     INTO    LITERARY    CAPITAL. 

FOR  the  twelfth  time  I  crossed,  by  train,  the  Karroo 
Desert,  now  cool  and  delightful,  where  five  months 
before  it  had  been  a  lurid  hell  of  dust  and  aridness.  At 
Cape  Town  I  soon  found  the  man  who  was  to  make  my 
lantern-slides,  and  on  hunting  up  the  theatrical  manager 
mentioned  in  an  earlier  chapter  I  learned  that  he  had 
abandoned  the  lecture  scheme,  owing  to  a  recent  fiasco,  per- 
petrated by  another  correspondent,  which  had  ''queered" 
the  business  for  the  time.  However,  I  determined  to  "  buck 
the  tiger  "  myself  and  make  my  own  arrangements,  in- 
tending to  start  at  Graham's  Town,  afterward  lecture  at  Port 
Elizabeth,  and  then  either  go  back  to  England  at  once,  to 
lecture  there  during  the  siege  of  Pretoria,  which  all  sup- 
posed would  be  in  progress,  or  else  return  to  the  front  and 
join  Lord  Roberts  before  he  reached  Johannesburg.  I  en- 
gaged quiet  boarding-rooms  with  a  private  family  while 
waiting  the  five  days  it  would  take  to  get  out  my  *'  slides." 
Incidentally  I  called  on  Mr.  Robinson,  the  ''  Daily  Ex- 
press "  manager  at  the  Mount  Nelson  Hotel,  which  was 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  my  new  home.  I  explained  to 
him  my  reasons  for  not  waiting  to  receive  his  answer  to 
Hodgett's  proposal  to  take  me  along  to  Pretoria  for  the 
''Express."  I  found  Mr.  Robinson  a  delightful  man  to 
talk  to — largely,  I  presume,  because  he  was  a  good  listener 
to  my  tales  and  able  to  enjoy  American  humor,  and  also 
sufficiently  my  superior  in  mental  calibre  to  make  my  effort 
to  reach  and  remain  on  his  plane  exhilarating  and  pleasur- 

272 


''LOOT"  AND  LITERARY  CAPITAL 

able.  The  climax  of  this  enjoyment  was  reached  when  he 
asked  me  to  write  up  one  of  my  tales  in  the  shape  of  a 
story  for  the  "  Express  ;"  and  when,  next  day,  I  handed  him 
the  copy,  and  received  in  exchange  a  check  for  a  sum  ex- 
pressed in  guineas  which  quite  agreed  with  my  own  appre- 
ciation of  myself,  my  admiration  for  Mr.  Robinson  reached 
the  stage  of  personal  devotion. 

Incidentally,  while  talking  over  ''  my  plans  "  I  mentioned 


The  Author  waiting  for  Trince  Francis  of  Teck,  Commander  of  the  Remount 
Yards,  at  Bloemfontein,  to  pose  for  a  few  photographs. 

the  fact  that  I  regretted  I  had  not  time  or  money  enough 
to  go  up  the  east  coast  to  Delagoa  Bay,  from  there  into 
the  Transvaal,  and  see  the  remainder  of  the  war  from  the 
Boer  side.  The  idea  struck  him  as  odd,  since  he  did  not 
realize  that  as  an  American  it  was  my  privilege  to  do  this. 
When  I  explained  the  situation  to  him,  he  asked  me  if  I 
would  go  on  to  Pretoria  in  that  way  for  the  ''Express." 
Then  followed  negotiations,  for  my  keen  nose  scented  a 
18  273 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


"new  deal."  The  cable  to  London  was  brought  into 
requisition  ;  and  two  days  later,  when  the  reply  arrived, 
"  Rush  Unger  on  to  Pretoria,"  we  came  to  terms  that  for 
the  next  three  months  made  me  the  best  paid  war  corres- 
pondent in  South  Africa.  The  lecture  scheme  was  aban- 
doned, although  the  slides  had  been  delivered  and  paid  for. 
Then  I  made  my  last  and  thirteenth  trip  across  the  Karroo, 

reaching  Graham's  Town,  where 
I  refunded  the  loan  of  two 
pounds  I  had  received  several 
months  earlier  from  Mr.  Grocott, 
and  spent  a  delightful  evening  at 
his  home,  telHng  him  of  some  of 
my  experiences,  for  what  man  is 
he  that  does  not  enjoy  a  good 
listener  ? 

The  conversation,  written  up, 
which  really  secured  me  my  posi- 
tion with  the  "  Express,"  was 
an  imaginative  yet  truly  descrip- 
tive sketch  which  I  think  worth 
while  reproducing.  It  was  published  in  the  "Express" 
on  June  6,  1900,  and  was  as  follows  : 


Prince  Francis  receives  news  of 
a  fresh  capture  of  Boer  ponies. 


"Loot." 

"  And  if  any  man  shall  steal  a  chicken,  he  shall  hang ; 
that  the  sin  of  looting  may  pass  away."  So  said  the  great 
Field  Marshal,  and — we  who  write — all  echoed  his  words 
and  said,  "  Yea,  it  is  just." 

Two  days  later,  while  riding  to  Paardeburg,  I  stopped  to 
off-saddle  my  horse  at  a  deserted  farm.  While  he  quietly 
grazed  in  the  garden  I  made  an  investigation  of  the  interior 
of  the  house.  Truly,  as  Kipling  has  said,  "  It  looked  as 
though  whirlwinds  had   met  there  to  wrestle."       Broken 

274 


"LOOT"  AND  LITERARY  CAPITAL 

furniture,  crockery,  pictures,  bric-a-brac  of  all  kinds,  cloth- 
ing, broken  glass — everything  destroyed — a  pitiable  scene 
of  desolation.  In  a  corner,  with  its  legs  twisted  out  of  shape, 
lay  a  little  tin  horse,  a  child's  toy,  the  paint  cracked  and 
the  head  bent  back  to  the  tail.  Even  this  trifle  had  seemed 
deserving  of  the  attention  of  some  stalwart  trooper.  I  was 
told  that  17,000  regulars  passed  by  this  place,  leaving  it 
untouched,  and  then  a  few  regiments  of  irregular  horse 
swooped  down  and  did  the  work.  **  Outrageous  !"  I 
mused  meditatively,  at  the  same  time  unconsciously  crunch- 


An  unruly  mare  demands  IVince  Francis'  attention.  The  Prince  is  the  most 
expert  horseman  in  the  British  army,  and  exercises  a  wonderful  control 
over  animals. 

ing  an  unbroken  piece  of  glass  under  my  heel.  Then  I 
picked  up  a  tattered  Bible,  mechanically  tearing  out  a  few 
more  leaves.  Then  I  saw  a  table  in  so  advanced  a  stage 
of  dissolution  that  one  good  kick  would  completely  smash 
those  three  legs,  leaving  the  fourth  to  hold  one  corner 
in  the  air,  that  men  looking  in  might  see  that  nothing 
good  remained.  The  kick  was  delivered,  the  three  legs 
gave  way  ;  some  books  and  dishes  slid  to  the  floor.  One 
corner  remained  elevated  in  the  air,  emphasizing  the  work 
of  destruction  I  had  completed.  Suddenly  the  thought 
struck    me    that    I,   too,    was    a  vandal,   and,   thoroughly 

275 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

ashamed,  I  hurriedly  went  out,  up-saddled  and  galloped 
off. 

I  comforted  myself  with  the  thought  that  the  thing  was 
contagious,  and  firmly  resolved  to  be  more  cautious  in 
future,  that  I  might  sin  no  more.  Two  days  later  my  sad- 
dle-girth broke.  A  neighbor's  lay  near  by.  It  was  but 
the  work  of  a  moment  to  substitute  the  good  girth  for  my 
useless  one,  and  as  I  rode  away  I  was  conscious  of  a  ting- 
ling thrill  of  satisfaction  at  having  successfully  acquired 
something  without  having  given  an  equivalent  value  in  ex- 
change. Surprised  at  the  absence  of  shame,  I  yet  realized 
on  what  an  awful  danger  I  was  bordering. 

Had  I  but  paused  then  I  might  have  returned  to  virtuous 
ways ;  but,  alas  !  instead,  I  went  from  bad  to  worse. 

I  visited  an  outpost  which  had  had  a  sharp  skirmish  with 
the  enemy  near  Koodoosrand  Drift,  driving  them  off  and 
leaving  a  quantity  of  stores  behind.  An  account  of  stock 
had  not  yet  been  taken  when  I  arrived  ;  so  I  quietly  ex- 
changed my  old  saddle  for  a  new  one,  picked  up  a  new 
bridle  and  saddle-cloth  ;  also  a  much  needed  pair  of  sad- 
dlebags. I  boldly  rode  off  with  my  loot,  feeling  that  I  had 
taken  an  irrevocable  step,  and  that  the  first  stage  of  my 
degradation  was  complete.  From  that  time  on  I  allowed 
no  unnecessary  qualms  of  conscience  to  interfere  with  my 
acquisition  of  things.  True,  I  respected  and  feared  the 
Provost  Marshal ;  but  that  was  only  to  the  extent  of  avoiding 
his  part  of  the  camp  when  returning  with  a  conspicuously 
large  bag  of  "  forage,"  or  with  a  pair  of  very  indignant  old 
lady  chickens  vigorously  protesting  from  the  depths  of  my 
saddlebags.  Only  once,  some  weeks  later,  did  I  hesitate  in 
my  downward  career,  and  that  was  when  I  started  to  ride 
into  camp  on  a  magnificent  black  stalHon.  I  wisely  changed 
my  mind  and  took  the  unbranded  mare  instead,  and  as  a 
reward  for  my  discretion   rode  the  gallant  little  beast  for 

276 


LOOT"  AND  LITERARY  CAPITAL 


many  weeks  thereafter  unchallenged  as  to  the  propriety  of 
my  ownership. 

The  finishing  touches  were  put  to  my  education  in  the 
art  of  looting  at  Poplar  Grove.  While  the  enemy  was  in 
full  flight,  with  the  Imperial  forces  hotly  pursuing,  I  met 
another  friend,  who  inquired  if  I  "  had  been  in  any  of  the 
deserted  laagers  yet?"  I  answered,  *' No  ;"  and  when  he 
suggested  '*  I  saw  a  lot  of  good  mackintoshes  up  on  the 
hill  awhile  ago,"  I  galloped  off  after  him.     We  were  joined 


■• 

,Mm>:.. 

iH^ 

^ 

w^^ 

M' 

^ 

The  Prince  subdues  with  une  hand  the  unruly  mare  which  for  half  an  hour 
had  dragged  half  a  dozen  men  about  the  yards. 

by  a  third  vandal,  and  together  we  three  went  through  half 
a  dozen  of  the  abandoned  outpost  laagers.  The  camp  had 
been  occupied  a  long  time,  and  had  been  evacuated  hur- 
riedly. We  found  half-prepared  food  on  smoking  fires  ;  we 
picked  up  a  blanket  here,  there  a  pair  of  saddle-wallets, 
then  some  new  straps  ;  and  so  on  we  rolled,  putting  the  pro- 
verbial stone  to  shame. 

When  we  returned  to  camp  we  looked  like  a  caravan  of 
Eastern  merchants.  Two  huge  tin  pails  swung  across  each 
saddle  filled    with  a  potpourri  of   camp  luxuries   gleaned 

277 


WITH  "  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

from  the  losses  of  a  hundred  burghers  ;  new  mackintoshes 
rolled  up  on  the  front  of  our  saddles  ;  two  waterproof 
blankets  apiece  ;  while  my  particular  loot  included  a  twelve- 
bladed  clasp  knife  and  a  toilet  and  shaving  set  in  a  leather 
case, ''  imported  from  Germany."  After  that  I  could  twist  a 
chicken's  neck,  and  half  an  hour  later  shamelessly  invite  a 
staff  officer  to  dinner.  I  could  feed  my  horse  on  two  bundles 
of  forage,  while  colonels  turned  their  ponies  out  on  the  veldt. 

I  was  found  eating  fresh  eggs  and  wheat  bread  and 
drinking  quarts  of  fresh  milk,  while  the  rest  of  the  army 
were  on  half  rations  of  biscuit  and  ''bully  beef."  I  rode 
a  new  horse  every  three  days,  and  in  every  skirmish  earned 
the  admiration  of  the  rank  and  file  and  the  envy  of  my 
contemporaries  by  the  fearless  way  in  which  I  followed  the 
scouts,  and  advanced  with  the  firing-line  over  laagte,  nek 
and  kopje  into  the  enemy's  laager ;  always  first  in — to  loot. 
Yes,  looting  is  very  wrong,  no  doubt ;  but,  as  one  who 
knows,  next  to  the  fierce  joy  of  fighting,  that  of  satisfying 
the  primeval  instinct  of  robber  man  is  the  strongest  pleas- 
ure which  war  affords.  Add  the  promise  of  plunder  to  the 
certainty  of  a  fight,  and  you  increase  by  tenfold  the  effi- 
ciency of  any  army  in  the  world. 

Napoleon  thoroughly  understood  this  principle  in  human 
nature,  and,  though  it  may  be  truly  said,  **  He  carried  the 
art  of  war  back  five  hundred  years  to  the  Middle  Ages,"  yet 
was  there  ever  so  devoted  and  energetic  a  body  of  men  as 
those  fearless  legions  of  France  who  warred  for  twenty 
years  across  the  wrinkled  face  of  tortured  Europe  ?  No, 
if  war  be  right  in  any  case,  then  be  consistent  and  let  the 
boys  loot.  A  campaign  cannot  be  run  like  a  Sunday- 
school,  nor  is  going  into  battle  like  a  tea  party.  Since  war 
brings  to  the  surface  all  of  man's  strongest  passions,  let 
Field  Marshals  realize  the  folly  of  trying  to  utilize  one  only 
while  suppressing  the  rest. 

278 


"LOOT"  AND  LITERARY  CAPITAL 

Yes,  undoubtedly  the  lust  for  fighting  is  one  of  man's 
strongest  passions,  and  following  close  behind  is  his  love 
of  looting.  The  two  go  together  and  are  inseparable. 
"War  should  support  war."  **To  the  victor  belong  the 
spoils."  So,  if  for  policy  or  principle  it  be  wise  to  let  man 
murder,  then,  for  his  individual  and  private  gratification,  why 
not  let  him  be  also  a  thief  ? 


279 


CHAPTER  XXXIL 

THE    LAND    OF    DELAY,    THE    CITY    OF    TO-MORROW,    AND    THE 
HOUSE    OF    NEXT    MONTH. 

FROM  Graham's  Town  I  went  on  to  Port  Elizabeth, 
there  to  catch  the  steamer  up  the  east  coast  to 
Durban,  where  a  French  steamer,  due  to  leave  for  Dela- 
goa  Bay  the  day  after  my  arrival,  was  to  end  my  voyaging 
for  another  period  of  weeks,  months,  or  maybe  longer. 
Before  leaving  Graham's  Town  a  rumor  spread  through  the 
streets  that  Mafeking  had  been  relieved,  and  the  extras 
issued  as  the  train  steamed  out  confirmed  the  report,  and 
sent  hundreds  of  flags  sliding  up  as  many  flagstaffs  and 
strings  of  bunting  crossing  the  streets,  and  before  the  train 
wound  out  of  sight  beyond  the  hills  Graham's  Town  was 
going  through  a  deHrium  of  rejoicings.  At  the  larger  sta- 
tions along  the  line  crowds  of  school-children  with  flags  in 
hand  cheered  and  hurrahed  as  the  train,  the  daily  mail, 
passed  by.  Port  P^lizabeth  was  reached  at  night,  and  had 
already  had  its  first  spasm.  The  evening  was  a  **  wide- 
open  "  one,  with  bands  and  processions  and  thousands  of 
people  thronging  the  streets.  The  Boer  element  kept 
indoors,  and  the  few  who  ventured  out  looked  as  de- 
pressed and  sombre  as  the  black  clothing  nearly  all  of 
them  wore. 

This  was  Saturday.  My  steamer  was  not  due  until  Tues- 
day. Sunday  was  appropriately  quiet,  and  I  wrote  letters, 
while  Port  Elizabeth  got  ready  for  a  monstrous  celebration 
on  Monday.  The  speeches,  processions,  hilarity  and  gen- 
eral festivity  of  that  day  wore  away.    Between  time  I  wrote 

280 


THE  LAND  OF  DELAY 

many  letters,  bought  a  few  essentials,  and  by  Tuesday  after- 
noon was  snugly  stowed  away  on  the  steamship  Dunvc- 
gan  Castle^  occupying  the  best  stateroom,  on  my  way  to 
Durban. 

The  steamer  stopped  a  day  at  East  London,  but  I  did 
not  go  ashore.  Instead,  I  sat  on  deck,  smoked,  and  looked 
at  the  sandy  and  rocky  shore  where  I  had  bathed  during 


Mafeking  Day.     Procession  through  the  main  street  of  Port  Elizabeth. 
The  Town  Hall  in  the  background. 

my  runs  down  to  the  coast  from  Sterkstrom.  It  was  here 
that  I  had  met  Consul  Hay  on  his  way  to  Pretoria,  and  I 
pictured  his  surprise  when  I  should  walk  in  on  him  weeks, 
or  maybe  months,  before  the  arrival  of  Lord  Roberts  and 
his  army.  I  saw  the  tug  come  out  with  new  passengers, 
take  off  visitors  to  the  shore,  and  remembered  how  seasick 
I  had  been  doing  the  same  thing  a  few  months  before,  and 
congratulated  myself  anew  on  the  reversed  order  of  things, 

281 


WITH  "  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

with  my  present  prosperity  assured,  and  smoked  another 
cigar.  I  made  few  friends  on  the  boat,  for  the  time  was  too 
short,  and  my  own  thoughts  and  imaginings  were  sufficient 
company  for  me.  The  voyage  was  smooth,  and  I  was 
spared  the  agony  of  sea-sickness.  In  every  way  I  felt 
lucky ;  the  gods  were  smiling  on  me,  and  my  star  was  in 
the  ascendant.  I  was  quite  ready  to  undertake  anything 
that  might  present  itself,  and  felt  that  all  the  world,  seen 
and  unseen,  was  ready  to  stand  by  and  aid  me  in  every 
effort. 

The  dream  was  short,  but  sweet.  I  was  soon  to  learn 
anew  that  what  I  would  get  I  would  have  to  fight  for,  and 
fight  good  and  hard,  too. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  I  reached  Durban  and  went 
to  a  hotel,  where  I  found  that  the  French  boat  had  not  yet 
arrived.  I  saw  the  agent  and  bought  my  ticket  for  Lorenzo 
Marquez.  When  I  had  paid  over  the  money  he  told  me 
that  I  would  have  to  see  the  English  commandant  and  get 
permission  to  leave,  and  that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to 
get  away  without  doing  so,  as  no  one  was  allowed  to  go 
aboard  the  tugboat  unless  on  the  commandant's  list.  I 
assumed  that,  in  my  case,  this  would  be  merely  a  matter  of 
formahty,  and  so  I  took  a  "ricksha"  and  called  on  the 
commandant.  He  was  in  his  office,  but  I  was  turned  over 
to  his  assistant.  I  told  him  I  had  bought  my  ticket  for 
Delagoa  Bay,  and  that  I  understood  a  pass  was  required, 
in  order  to  insure  my  departure  without  delay. 

''Precisely,"  was  his  reply;  and  then  followed  a  series 
of  questions  by  which  he  discovered  that  I  was  an  Ameri- 
can war  correspondent,  in  possession  of  a  full  war  license 
from  Lord  Roberts,  and  that  I  had  been  with  the  army  in 
the  Free  State  for  some  months  past ;  also,  that  my  inten- 
tion was  to  proceed  as  quickly  as  possible  into  the  enemy's 
country    via   the    Portuguese    Territory.     When    he    had 

282 


THE  LAND  OF  DELAY 

reached  thus  far  he  quietly  closed  the  book  in  which  he 
had  been  making  a  few  notes  of  my  remarks  and  said,  **  I 
am  sorry  to  tell  you  we  cannot  allow  you  to  proceed  far- 
ther. We  have  already  had  to  refuse  several  other  corre- 
spondents, and  one  is  still  here,  having  waited  six  weeks  for 
permission  to  go  on." 

**  But  I  am  an  American  citizen,"  I  replied,  *'and  you 
have  no  authority  to  detain  me  ;  I  must  demand  my  rights, 
for  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  I  reach  Pretoria  as 
early  as  possible."  The  Major  turned  to  the  commandant 
and  stated  my  case.  The  reply  was,  **  Certainly  not ;  he 
cannot  go."  I  expostulated  further ;  but  my  only  satisfac- 
tion was  a  promise  to  wire  to  the.  General  commanding  in 
Natal.     Then  I  left  the  office. 

The  gentlemen  had  been  exquisitely  polite,  but  Gibraltar 
itself  did  not  seem  more  inexorably  immovable  than  their 
decision.  Hastily  getting  into  another  ricksha,  I  directed 
the  boy  to  take  me  to  the  American  Consul's  office.  I 
found  Mr.  Rennie  in  and  very  busy,  but  not  too  much  so 
to  listen  to  my  story  and  promise  to  see  the  commandant 
himself  He  asked  me  to  call  again  the  next  day,  when 
he  assured  me  it  would  be  *' all  right." 

There  was  no  help  for  it.  I  was  "  up  against  it,"  and 
had  to  wait.  Meanwhile  Lord  Roberts  had  left  Kronstad 
and  was  nearing  the  Vaal.  My  steamer  would  not  leave 
for  four  days,  which  was  in  itself  a  most  exasperating 
delay  ;  but  in  the  face  of  this  new  obstacle  it  was  rather 
fortunate,  for  the  next  steamer  would  be  a  month  later,  and 
of  course  entirely  useless  to  me. 

My  visit  to  the  Consul  the  following  morning  was  far 
from  satisfactory.  He  had  not  yet  seen  the  commandant, 
but  said,  *'  If  he  gives  me  any  trouble  I  shall  wire  to  the 
Governor  at  Cape  Town,  and  then  it  will  be  all  right."  A 
few  hours  later  I  saw  him  again,  when  he  told  me  that  the 

283 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

commandant  would  have  allowed  me  to  pass  had  I  not 
told  him  that  I  was  a  correspondent.  However,  he  would 
see  him  again,  and  promised  me  better  news  the  next  day. 
Then  I  quietly  went  to  the  telegraph  office  and  wired  to 
Colonel  Stowe,  the  American  Consul  at  Cape  Town  : 
'*  Authorities  here  object  to  further  progress."  This  was 
what  Colonel  Stowe  had  advised  me  to  do  if  there  was  any 
trouble,  and  he  had  promised  me  he  would  see  the  Gov- 
ernor himself  in  such  an  event. 


Elizabeth  Monument  on  hill  above  Port  Elizabeth,  Cape  Colony,  decorated 
during  Mafeking  Day  Celebrations. 


But,  alas  !  This  was  late  on  Friday,  and  the  Colonel 
would  not  be  at  his  office  on  Saturday,  which  would  result 
in  his  interview  with  the  Governor  in  my  behalf  being 
delayed  until  Monday — after  my  steamer  had  left.  Clearly, 
something  had  to  be  done.  Saturday  morning  I  had 
another  interview  with  the  Consul,  and  still  nothing  had 
been  done.  Then  my  mind  was  made  up.  I  had  still  one 
trump  card  to  play,  and,  disagreeable  as  might  be  the  result, 
it  had  to  be  played.  Going  back  to  the  hotel  I  got  my 
papers,   and   then   called   for  the    last   time   on   the   com- 

284 


THE  LAND  OF  DELAY 

mandant.  As  I  entered  the  office  a  shadow  of  annoyance 
passed  over  his  face. 

"The  American  Consul  has  been  here,"  he  said,  ''and 
as  I  have  not  yet  heard  from  the  General,  my  answer  to 
him  was  the  same  as  to  you.  Nothing  can  be  done  till  he 
replies." 

*'  Colonel,"  I  said,  "  I  want  to  thank  you  for  your  for- 
bearance with  my  persistency,  and  also  to  say  that  I  have 
never  been  more  courteously  treated  by  English  officers 
than  I  have  been  by  you,  and  I  have  received  many  favors 
from  their  hands,  which  makes  that  remark  mean  some- 
thing. I  sincerely  hope  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion  between  us,  our  relations  will  continue  to 
be  as  pleasant ;  but  as  a  mere  matter  of  form  I  must  ask 
you  to  look  at  this,"  and  I  spread  out  my  United  States 
passport  on  the  table  before  him. 

*'  Yes,  I  know  your  papers  are  all  right,"  he  said  ;  and 
then,  looking  at  the  outstretched  wings  of  our  American 
eagle  at  the  top  of  my  passport,  he  added,  in  a  lower  voice, 
"and  a  grand  old  bird  this  emblem  of  freedom  is,  too;" 
then  folding  the  paper  and  handing  it  back  to  me  ;  "  but  I 
cannot  allow  you  to  go  to  Delagoa  Bay  ;"  closing  with 
the  crushing  words,  "  for  a  correspondent  to  go  from  one 
side  of  a  war  to  the  other  is  not  the  usual  thing.  You  are 
an  accredited  correspondent  attached  to  our  army,  have 
had  the  status  of  an  officer,  and  your  nationality  must  stand 
aside." 

I  might  have  accepted  this  as  final  had  he  not  made  use 
of  those  fatal  words,  "  not  the  usual  thing  ;"  words  which 
to  an  Englishman  might  have  been  final,  but  which  for  an 
American  have  no  meaning  except  procrastination,  with 
that  magic  phrase  as  an  excuse  and  justification.  No  ;  go 
I  would,  and  that  in  spite  of  all  the  red  tape  in  the  United 
Kingdom  ;    so,  dropping   the    mask   of  affable   diplomacy 

285 


WITH  '^BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

which  I  had  been  careful  to  wear  up  to  this  time,  I  said 
gravely,  looking  the  commandant  straight  in  the  eyes,  "■  Do 
what  you  will  with  the  accredited  correspondent,  but  be 
careful  not  to  lay  hands  upon  a  citizen  of  the  United  vStates. 
Good  afternoon,  gentlemen  ;  I  shall  go  aboard  my  steamer 
Monday  morning  at  ten  o'clock." 

As  I  left  the  office  I  came  face  to  face  with  the  Ameri- 
can Consul  again.  I  told  him  what  I  had  just  done,  and 
added,  **  My  personal  relations  with  the  officers  of  the  Eng- 
lish army  for  the  past  six  months  have  been  so  agreeable 
that  I  don't  want  at  the  moment  of  my  leaving  it,  perhaps 
forever,  to  have  anything  unpleasant  to  mar  the  memory  of 
my  association  with  them  ;  but  if  you  see  fit  to  see  the  com- 
mandant again,  you  can  tell  him  for  me  that  if  he  wants  to 
detain  me  on  Monday  he  must  send  a  squad  of  men  down 
to  the  wharves  to  prevent  it ;  nothing  less  will  do,  for  I  will 
resist,  and  they  will  be  compelled  to  carry  me  off  bodily ; 
and  if  that  should  happen,  I  promise  you  personally  that 
within  the  month  there  will  be  at  least  fifty  influential  pro- 
Boer  American  newspapers  going  into  hysterics  over  the 
'  Latest  British  Outrage  upon  an  American  Citizen.'  " 

I  went  back  to  my  hotel  and  dismissed  the  matter  from 
my  mind.  Sunday  I  spent  writing  letters  and  resting. 
Monday  morning  I  loaded  up  my  luggage  on  a  ricksha 
and  went  down  to  the  wharf.  At  ten  o'clock  I  went  on 
the  tug.  As  I  walked  up  the  gang  plank  an  officer  asked 
for  my  name,  and  as  he  looked  at  a  paper  held  in  his  hands 
I  also  ran  my  eye  down  the  list,  and  saw  a  little  red  check 
beside  my  name,  which  meant  "all  right."  Then  he 
ordered  a  Tommy  to  help  me  with  my  luggage,  and,  as  I 
desired,  my  last  touch  with  British  officialdom  in  South 
Africa  was  to  receive  an  additional  favor,  and  add  still 
greater  weight  to  the  monumental  amount  of  obligations  I 
am  under  to  that  splendid  body  of  men. 

286 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

THE    LAND    OF    THE    MILREIS. 

IT  was  only  a  twenty-four-hour  run  from  Durban  to 
Delagoa  Bay,  and  the  Djemmna  arrived  there  early  in 
the  morning.  The  first  thing  I  heard  was  the  news  that 
Lord  Roberts  had  taken  Johannesburg.  That  miserable 
four  days'  delay  at  Durban  had  robbed  me  of  the  coup  of 
getting  into  the  city  before  the  Imperial  army.  However, 
Pretoria  was  still  left,  and  perhaps  I  could  manage  to  get 
there. 

A  small  fleet  of  sailboats  clustered  about  the  sides  of 
the  steamer,  manned  by  undersized,  swarthy,  dirty-looking 
Portuguese  and  natives.  Mr.  Aamsden,  an  American 
photographer  who  was  travelling  with  me,  and  I  got  our 
twenty-two  pieces  of  baggage  on  one  of  these  boats  and 
were  rowed  ashore,  where  a  lot  of  blacks  took  our  effects 
and  started  in  a  long  procession  toward  the  custom-house. 
This  service  cost  us  something  almost  fabulous,  running 
into  the  thousands — of  milreis,  the  current  coin,  equal  in 
value  to  about  one-tenth  of  a  cent.  There  was  no  trouble 
at  the  custom-house  until  the  package  containing  my 
saddle  was  opened.  This  was  promptly  confiscated  as 
being  ''contraband  of  war."  I  looked  regretfully  at  the 
pile  of  ten  thousand  cases  of  American  tinned  beef  destined 
for  the  Transvaal  which  was  also  stored  there  as  contraband, 
and  then  a  mild  attack  of  determination  seized  me  not  to 
lose  my  saddle,  contraband  or  no  contraband. 

Up  to  this  time  the  examination  had  been  conducted 
without  the  aid  of  an  interpreter.      I  went  outside,  along 

287 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

the  dock,  and  after  speaking  to  half  a  dozen  men  found  one 
who  could  understand  English,  and  through  him  succeeded 
in  informing  the  customs  officials  that  I  did  not  wish  to 
take  the  bulk  of  my  baggage  into  the  country  at  all,  but 
would  prefer  to  leave  it  with  them  in  bond.  No  objection 
was  made,  and  I  was  given  a  form  of  paper  with  heaven 
only  knows  what  scrawled  on  it,  and  some  thousands  more 
milreis  were  demanded.  I  began  to  feel  like  a  millionaire ; 
but  when,  later  in  the  day,  a  cabman  charged  me  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  more  (about  ;^ 2. 50)  for  driving  half  a 
mile,  I  began  to  believe  that  I  must  be  a  very  exalted  per- 
sonage in  the  eyes  of  this  community,  every  member  of 
which  seemed  to  be  living  on  extortionate  fees. 

After  leaving  the  custom-house  our  procession  of  na- 
tives, with  the  baggage  considerably  reduced  in  number  of 
pieces,  started  through  the  streets  of  the  city  of  Lorenzo 
Marquez,  arriving,  after  many  turnings  and  twistings,  at  a 
hotel,  where  we  ordered  breakfast.  We  learned  that  there 
would  be  a  train  leaving  for  Pretoria  that  evening ;  also 
that  considerable  red  tape  would  be  required  before  we 
could  come  into  possession  of  the  necessary  passports  ;  so 
after  breakfast  we  started  up  the  long  hill  at  the  back  of  the 
town  to  the  American  Consulate,  the  usual  Mecca  of  the 
American  citizen  abroad  when  in  perplexity  of  any  kind. 
Mr.  Hollis  received  us  with  a  somewhat  bored  air,  vised 
our  passports,  and  in  an  absent-minded  sort  of  way  charged 
us  five  thousand  milreis  for  putting  the  seal  of  the  United 
States  over  his  signature.  Then  he  wrote  a  note  of  intro- 
duction for  us  to  the  Transvaal  Consul,  and  gave  us  the 
necessary  directions  as  to  how  to  proceed.  Near  the  cus- 
tom-house we  found  the  Transvaal  Consulate,  where  a 
beery-faced  Dutch  secretary  took  our  American  passports 
and  letters  of  introduction,  telling  us  to  come  back  in  about 
an  hour. 

288 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MILREIS 


^\B>    e 


First  Transvaal  Passport,  including  railway  transportation  to  Pretoria, 
issued  to  the  author  by  Consul  Potts  at  Lorenzo  Marquez. 


289 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

By  this  time  it  was  nearly  noon  and  we  were  hungry 
again,  and  so  we  had  lunch  at  a  restaurant  in  the  little  park 
or  public  square  near  by.  Then  we  went  back  to  the  Con- 
sulate, where  the  beery-faced  clerk  presented  us  each  with 
a  Transvaal  passport  and  a  railway  pass  to  Pretoria.  He 
also  returned  our  American  passports,  which  we  then  took 
to  the  Prefecture  of  Police,  where,  after  payment  of  more 
thousands  of  milreis,  we  received  a  "  Salvo  Conducto," 
which  means  a  certificate  that,  since  our  arrival  in  Lorenzo 
Marquez,  to  the  exact  knowledge  of  the  police  we  had 
not  committed  any  crime.  With  this  additional  evidence 
of  our  upright  character  we  then  proceeded  to  the  Gov- 
ernor's office,  where  our  collection  of  papers  was  looked 
over,  and  we  were  requested  to  call  again  at  four  o'clock. 
We  were  half  an  hour  late  in  getting  back,  and  were  rep- 
rimanded for  the  delinquency  ;  then  an  official  escorted  us 
through  many  dark  corridors  into  a  very  handsome  and 
pretentious  room.  A  small  table  stood  beside  the  window  ; 
a  closed  door  faced  us.  The  official  asked  us  to  sign  our 
names  in  a  book  on  the  table  ;  then,  with  our  papers  in  his 
hand,  he  vanished  through  the  door,  closing  it  behind  him. 
Instinct  told  us  he  was  in  the  awful  presence  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, whose  august  face  we  wondered  if  we  were  to  see. 
But  it  was  not  to  be.  The  official  returned,  handed  us 
the  papers,  enriched  by  the  addition  of  a  Portuguese 
passport,  and  then  calmly  collected  the  staggering  fee  of 
ten  thousand  milreis.  That  Governor  was  no  slouch ; 
he  understood  his  business  as  well  as  a  New  York  police 
captain. 

We  paid  the  ten  thousand  and  hurried  back  to  the  hotel, 
where  we  learned  that  the  train  for  Pretoria  would  not  start 
until  the  following  morning.  This  gave  us  some  additional 
time,  and  we  spent  the  evening  on  the  plaza,  incident- 
ally making  a  visit  to  the  Djemmna  to  see  off  some  new- 

290 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MILREIS 

made  friends  who  were  sailing  the  next  day.  Before  bed- 
time Mr.  Aamsden  and  I  took  a  part  of  our  baggage  to 
the  Consulate,  and  left  it  there  in  charge  of  Mr.  Hollis. 
I  found  that  a  cablegram  from  Mr.  Robinson  at  Cape 
Town  had  come  for  me,  asking  me  to  confer  with  a  cer- 
tain man  at  Lorenzo  Marquez  who  was  the  local  agent  for 
the  **  Express."  On  inquiry,  I  found  he  was  known  to  be 
an  English  spy,  so   I   quickly  realized   that   I  would   have 


Boer  girl,  Red  Cross  nurse  at  Waterval  Oonder. 

to  ignore  him  entirely.  From  the  time  of  my  arrival  in 
Lorenzo  Marquez  until  we  steamed  out  of  it  the  next 
morning  at  six  o'clock  we  were  under  the  constant  sur- 
veillance of  spies  of  three  governments — England,  Por- 
tugal and  the  Transvaal.  I  suppose,  at  times,  fully  a 
dozen  men  were  watching  us  closely,  and,  as  a  result,  we 
felt  duly  important. 

It  was  with  a  sigh  of  relief  that  we  saw  the  last  of  the 
city  and  realized  that  we  really  were  out  of  it  and  on  our 

291 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

way  to  Pretoria  at  last.  What  that  day  had  cost  us  we 
could  not  figure  up  accurately  from  memory  afterward,  and 
we  had  not  taken  any  notes.  But  it  could  not  have  been 
less  than  fifty  thousand  milreis,  and  we  made  proportionate 
note  of  the  item  in  our  expense-books. 

Both  the  American  and  Portuguese  authorities  had  re- 
quired of  us  our  affirmation  that  w^e  were  not  going  into 
the  Transvaal  to  fight  against  England.  I  posed  as  the 
representative  of  an  American  newspaper,  saying  nothing 
of  my  London  engagement,  and  Mr.  Aamsden  was  my  as- 
sistant and  photographer ;  hence  the  courtesy  of  the  rail- 
road passes.  The  beery-faced  Dutch  clerk  was  the  only 
official  we  had  met  who  had  not  charged  us  a  single 
milreis. 


292 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

BY    TRAIN    TO    PRETORIA. 

LEAVING  Lorenzo  Marquez,  the  train  seems  to  travel 
more  swiftly  than  is  the  custom  in  any  other  part  of 
South  Africa.  The  view  is  not  so  extended  as  in  the 
Karroo.  Instead  of  broad,  flat  veldt,  bordered  with  faint 
blue  ridges  of  the  inevitable  kopjes  in  the  distance,  the  road 
runs  through  a  thick  bush  country,  which  it  is  impossi- 
ble for  the  eye  to  penetrate  more  than  fifty  yards.  All 
objects  presented  to  the  sight  fall  behind  so  much  more 
quickly  than  the  Karroo  kopjes,  ten  to  twenty  miles  distant, 
that  the  illusion  of  rapid  travelling  is  complete  ;  in  fact, 
however,  we  were  going  up  a  long  grade,  and  hardly  as  fast 
as  one  of  the  same  percentage  would  have  been  ascended 
on  the  Cape  government  railways. 

Looking  from  the  window,  I  noticed  that  the  soil  was 
"  mixed,"  being  both  clay  and  sand.  The  grass  was  thick 
and  high,  with  great  black  patches  here  and  there,  where  a 
spark  from  a  passing  locomotive  had  fired  it.  The  trees 
were  not  as  tropical  of  aspect  as  I  had  expected  ;  they  were 
of  about  the  size  and  shape  of  apple  trees,  and  scattered  in 
a  manner  suggesting  a  large  orchard — so  different  from  the 
treeless  veldts  of  the  Free  State.  In  occasional  and  irregu- 
lar acres  the  natives  had  planted  some  corn.  They  call  it 
''mealies,"  the  regular  South  African  name  for  it;  foreign 
travellers  refer  to  it  as  "  maise,"  and  recall  my  school-boy 
geography  with  its  lists  of  **  agricultural  products  ;"  and  at 
last,  in  South  Africa,  I  learned  what  maize  really  was ; 
maize  or  mealy,  it  was  the  same  corn  that  grew  at  home  in 

293 


WITH  ^'BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

America,  and  my  heart  warmed  toward  the  simple  savages 
who  had  planted  it  so  close  to  the  orchard-like  clumps 
of  trees,  that  carried  me,  as  I  saw  it,  back  across  con- 
tinents and  seas  to  the  beautiful  farms  of  Pennsylvania. 
To  one  fresh  from  the  States,  perhaps  no  such  suggestion 
would  be  possible  ;  but  to  me,  after  soaking  for  half  a  year 
on  the  veldt,  the  slighest  suggestion  of  home  scenes  was 
more  than  sufficient  to  recall  the  rest. 

As  we  travelled  on  we  got  into  a  more  open  country. 
The  trees  were  more  scattered,  and  between  them  were 
wide  stretches  of  waving  green,  with  an  occasional  solitary 
palm  tree  as  a  reminder  that  at  least  the  country  was 
"  subtropical." 

Then  the  muddy  Koomaatti  River  found  its  way  to  the 
side  of  the  railway  embankment,  dodging  in  and  out  among 
the  trees.  On  the  other  side  extended  a  bush-covered 
range  of  hills,  not  '*  kopjes,"  behind  which  we  were  told 
could  be  found  plenty  of  koodoo,  springbok,  and  other 
larger  game.  The  lions  had  all  been  killed  off  years  be- 
fore, and  now  one  must  travel  far  beyond  the  beaten  paths 
of  traffic  to  reach  their  haunts,  farther  north  and  west. 

It  was  winter,  though  June,  and  so  while  the  trees  were 
still  green,  the  grass  was  dead  and  dried  up.  The  air  was 
neither  hot  nor  cold  ;  the  climate  was  delightful,  although 
said  to  be  full  of  fevers  of  no  particular  name  but  of  deadly 
power. 

Later  on,  the  veldt  folded  itself  up  on  both  sides  of  the 
road,  forming  an  immense  canyon.  At  one  side  now  flowed 
the  Crocodile  River,  said  to  be  full  of  the  silurian  monsters 
and  their  families  ;  and,  looking  down  the  steep  banks  into 
many  mysterious  green  pools,  I  found  no  difficulty  in  believ- 
ing it  to  be  true.  The  only  animals  I  saw  were  a  troop  of 
baboons  scampering  across  the  tracks  ahead  of  the  engine 
as  it  rounded  a  curve.     They  had  melons  and  other  fruit 

294 


BY  TRAIN  TO  PRETORIA 

in  their  paws,  and  with  much  jabbering  disappeared  among 
the  rocks  up  the  sides  of  the  canyon. 

For  about  thirty  miles  the  train  followed  the  river  through 
that  grand  gorge,  the  mineral  colors  of  the  natural  rocks, 
with  their  towering  peaks  outlined  against  the  blue  sky, 
blending  with  the  fresh  greens  of  a  luxurious  vegetation 
and  the  mysterious  dark  and  silent  hues  of  the  crocodile 
pools  below,  varied  by  snow-white  cascades  and  waterfalls 
all  mixed  in  brilliant  confusion,  and  forming  a  scene  of  sur- 
passing beauty  clearly  destined  to  become  yet  another 
"special  point  of  interest"  for  future  generations  of  pa- 
tiently-suffering Cook  tourists. 

Before  noon  we  reached  Koomaatiport  and  the  Trans- 
vaal border,  where  our  passports  and  baggage  were  ex- 
amined, and  even  our  private  letters  were  read.  Then 
hands  felt  all  over  our  bodies,  under  coats  and  vests,  and 
patted  pockets  in  search  of  revolvers.  I  was  in  a  state  of 
extreme  anxiety  when  my  portfolio  was  rummaged,  for  it 
contained  letters  from  British  officials  and  dozens  of  com- 
promising papers,  any  one  of  which  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  deny  me  the  coveted  entrance  to  Boerdom.  But 
to  my  relief,  and  also  to  my  disgust,  the  officials  seemed 
more  interested  in  certain  private  letters  in  feminine  hand- 
writing, over  which  they  chuckled  considerably,  patted  me 
on  the  back  good-naturedly,  and  chalked  crosses  on  my 
shoe-tips  and  baggage  as  an  indication  that  we  were  ''  all 
right,"  for  verily  all  the  world  loves  **  a  " — ''but  that  is 
another  story,"  as  Kipling  says.  All  this  we  silently  sub- 
mitted to,  for  it  was  the  necessary  price  of  admission  into 
the  land  of  the  burghers.  Then  the  train  pulled  off  again 
over  more  miles  of  rock,  river,  veldt  and  bush,  and  after 
awhile  evening  came,  and  darkness  at  five-thirty.  After  a 
few  more  hours'  running  the  train  stopped  at  a  station 
where  there  were  many  tracks  and  houses  off  in  the  dark- 

295 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

ness,  sparkling  dim  lights  like  so  many  yellow  stars  on  the 
ground,  and  we  learned  that  we  would  go  no  farther  that 
night,  for  recent  dynamite  attempts  along  the  line  had 
made  night-running  unwise.  Thus  I  suffered  another  vex- 
atious twelve-hour  delay  in  my  journey  toward  Pretoria, 
while  Lord  Roberts  was,  goodness  only  knows  where,  be- 
tween there  and  Johannesburg. 

After  a  cold,  wretched  night,  sleeping  in  the  car  in  our 
overcoats,  we  crawled  out  in  the  frosty  air  to  have  a  miser- 
able breakfast  at  the  station  restaurant.  When  this  agony 
was  over  I  went  out  on  the  platform  to  smoke.  A  train 
from  Pretoria  pulled  in.  It  had  hardly  stopped  before  a 
heavily-built  gentleman,  followed  by  a  bull  terrier,  jumped 
off  and  ran  off  into  the  town.  Although  I  had  never  seen 
the  man  before,  I  recognized  him  as  Mr.  Richard  Harding 
Davis.  In  about  twenty  minutes  he  came  back.  I  gave 
him  my  card,  and  he  introduced  me  to  his  wife,  who  was 
with  him.  We  had  about  five  minutes'  talk  before  my 
train  went  on,  but  it  was  sufficient  for  me  to  learn  from  Mr. 
Davis  that  Pretoria  was  still  held  by  the  Boers.  He  was 
on  his  way  to  Lorenzo  Marquez  to  catch  the  German  mail 
steamer  which  would  leave  there  for  Naples  in  a  few  days. 
The  train  was  crowded  with  refugees,  principally  Hollanders, 
women  and  children,  and  their  compartments  were  over- 
flowing with  bundles  of  baggage,  showing  that  they  had 
left  hastily,  taking  only  their  more  valuable  possessions. 
On  the  other  hand,  my  own  train  was  filled  with  armed 
men,  all  bent  on  reaching  Pretoria  in  time  to  take  part  in 
its  defence  against  the  British. 

This  station  was  Waterval  Onder,  meaning  below  the 
waterfalls.  As  our  train  left,  it  began  to  ascend  a  heavy 
grade  with  many  curves,  which  enabled  me  to  see  that 
between  the  tracks  ran  a  heavy  cogged  rail,  and  an  extra 
engine  in  front  and  one  at  the  back  were  pushing  the  train. 

296 


BY  TRAIN  TO  PRETORIA 

This  grade  ascended  for  about  fifteen  hundred  feet  along 
the  side  of  an  immense  gorge,  at  the  bottom  of  which  a 
small  stream  was  flowing.  A  bend  in  the  sides  of  the 
canyon  hid  the  waterfall  from  view.  Then  the  train  ran 
out  into  the  open  again,  and  I  found  myself  on  the  level  of 
an  immense  plateau,  where  I  was  back  in  the  veldt  again, 
as  I  had  known  its  treeless  wastes  in  the  Free  State.  Ten 
minutes  more  brought  us  to  another  station  known  as 
Waterval  Boven,  or  above  the  waterfalls.  Farther  on  we 
passed  a  station  where  there  were  a  great  many  tents  and 


Burghers  waiting  at  railway  station  for  daily  train  on  which  to  hasten  to  rejoin 
their  commandoes  for  the  defence  of  Pretoria. 


carts,  more  side  tracks  and  hundreds  of  cars.  A  number 
of  handsomely  uniformed  officers  were  standing  about  the 
station.  This  was  Machadodorp  ;  but  there  was  no  one  to 
tell  us  that  the  Government  had  moved  here  from  Pretoria 
a  few  days  before,  and  that  the  brilliant  uniforms  belonged 
to  foreign  attaches  ;  for  the  other  men  in  our  compartment 
had  been  singularly  uncommunicative,  and  we  were  unable 
to  speak  their  language.  Some  of  them  could  speak  Eng- 
lish well  enough,  but  our  inabiHty  to  converse  in  Dutch 
made  us  objects  of  suspicion.     Then,  too,  we  did  not  make 

297 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

any  effort  to  draw  them  out,  for  our  only  object  was  to  get 
into  Pretoria  before  Lord  Roberts.  After  that,  the  delude 
— of  khaki  or  anything  else,  it  mattered  not. 

As  we  neared  Middleburg,  the  largest  town  on  the  line, 
each  station  began  to  contribute  half-dozen  or  more  burgh- 
ers returning  to  rejoin  their  commandoes  at  the  front.  We 
understood  from  their  talk  that  a  determined  defence  of 
the  capital  was  to  be  made,  and  that  every  available  man 
had  been  called  out.  Their  clothes  were  the  usual  greys 
and  browns  of  everyday  wear,  with  an  occasional  rusty 
black  garment  thrown  in.  I  noticed  that  in  greeting  each 
other  they  always  shook  hands,  even  when  apparent 
strangers  to  one  another.  The  common  cause  made  of 
them  a  common  brotherhood.  When  addressing  the  women 
among  them,  hats  were  always  raised  respectfully.  When 
the  women  gave  their  last  farewells  to  the  burghers  there 
was  a  conspicuous  absence  of  scenes — no  weepings  or  out- 
cries, only  a  quiet  "good-by,"  an  occasional  embrace  and 
kiss,  and  a  final  wave  of  the  hand,  an  atmosphere  of  re- 
spectful silence  being  the  only  indication  of  the  deeper  feel- 
ings underneath. 

At  some  places  there  was  an  apparent  reluctance  on  the 
part  of  some  of  the  men  to  go  to  the  front.  At  such  times 
several  of  the  older  burghers  got  off  and  harangued  the 
crowd,  trying  to  shame  the  fellows  into  joining.  They  gen- 
erally succeeded,  but  force  was  never  used.  Clearly  it  was 
optional  with  the  individual  Boers  whether  they  should 
fight  or  stay  at  home.  Usually  about  twenty  warriors  were 
gathered  up  at  each  stop  ;  many  were  white-haired  men  of 
at  least  threescore-and-ten  ;  others  were  fourteen-year-old 
youngsters  ;  but  all  armed  with  Mausers  and  heavily-loaded 
down  with  ammunition.  Open  trucks  behind  the  carriages 
carried  their  ponies,  with  which  every  man  was  provided. 
At  one  station,  as  the  train  was  about  to  move  on,  a  cloud 

298 


BY  TRAIN  TO  PRETORIA 

of  dust  in  the  distance  across  the  veldt  developed  into  two 
horsemen  riding  like  mad  for  the  train,  which  waited  until 
they  arrived.  They  galloped  up,  a  dozen  burghers  raised 
the  plank  to  the  truck,  the  horses  were  led  on,  their  owners 
jumped  into  the  carriage,  and  the  train  steamed  on.  These 
men  had  needed  no  urging ;  they  were  determined  to  fight 
to  the  end,  having  heard  encouraging  news.  The  reports 
were  that  General  French  had  lost  five  thousand  men  north 
of  Johannesburg,  that  De  Wet  had  cut  off  the  railway  be- 
hind Lord  Roberts  and  was  coming  on  with  twelve  thou- 
sand Free  Staters,  who  had  risen  again  on  his  appearance. 
Other  reports  were  that  French  had  been  killed,  and  that 
the  British  were  retiring  southward.  By  the  time  we  were 
near  Pretoria  the  train  was  filled  with  soldiers,  all  armed 
and  provided  with  fresh  horses  on  the  trucks  behind,  and 
ready  to  take  the  field  at  once. 

We  reached  the  city  after  dark,  and  found  that  even  the 
tram-car  and  cab-horses  had  been  commandeered,  so  we 
were  compelled  to  leave  our  baggage  at  the  station,  appar- 
ently a  risky  thing  to  do,  and  tramp  a  long,  weary  mile  in 
the  darkness  to  the  Grand  Hotel,  which  we  had  been  told 
was  the  best.  The  streets  were  quiet  and  but  few  men 
were  seen  ;  even  the  hotel  seemed  deserted.  Information 
of  any  kind  was  not  to  be  had  ;  nobody  knew  anything, 
and  so,  after  a  cold  supper,  we  turned  in  for  the  night  in  a 
very  anxious  and  uncertain  frame  of  mind. 


299 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

IN    THE    SHADOW    OF    SURRENDER. 

BUT  the  quiet  of  the  evening  and  night  gave  way  to  in- 
tense activity  with  the  coming  of  morning.  Early  I 
looked  out  from  my  window  across  the  markfet  square. 
On  one  side  stood  the  newly  finished  but  as  yet  unused 
Palace  of  Justice.  A  commando  of  about  thirty  mounted 
burghers,  ranging  in  age  from  thirteen  tjD  seventy,  were 
drawn  up  in  line  facing  the  government  building  on  the 
other  side  of  the  square.  With  their  heads  bared  they  sang 
several  hymn-like  airs,  and  then  after  a  short  prayer  and 
an  address  by  their  leader  they  rode  off  on  some  expedi- 
tion. 

All  the  while  small  parties  of  from  two  to  half  a  dozen 
mounted  men  were  galloping  into  and  from  the  streets 
meeting  at  the  square.  At  no  time  were  there  more  than 
a  hundred  men  in  view,  but  several  thousand  must  have 
passed  within  sight  during  the  morning.  While  Mr.  x\ams- 
den  and  I  were  standing  in  front  of  the  hotel  after  break- 
fast, undecided  as  to  what  to  do  next,  and  still  in  dense 
ignorance  of  affairs,  I  accidentally  overheard  Colonel  Blake's 
name  mentioned  in  a  rich  brogue.  Turning  to  the  speaker, 
I  asked  him  if  he  was  a  member  of  the  Irish  Brigade.  He 
answered, 

''  Yes,  Oi  am." 

''  Well,"  I  continued,  ''where  is  the  Colonel?" 

'*  Insoide,  gettin'  his  grub,"  was  the  answer.  I  went 
back  to  the  dining-hall  and  asked  a  waiter  to  point  out 
Colonel   Blake  to  me.     There  he  was,  sitting  at  the  table 

300 


IN  THE  SHADOW  OF  SURRENDER 


we  had  just  left.      I  walked  over  and  introduced  myself  to 
him  as  an  American  war  correspondent. 

A  more  different  individual  than  the  hard-faced  swash- 
buckler I  had  expected  to  meet  would  be  hard  to  find. 
His  face  was  extremely  refined  in  its  expression,  his  features 
were  strong  and  regular,  his  beard  square  and  curly,  his 
forehead  bald,  and  his  hair  long  and  also  curly  ;  threads  of 
grey  streaked  both  beard  and  hair.     He  looked  me  squarely 


1 

1 

|:a,..yy%' 

ii;   ,mM 

The  Market  Square,  Pretoria,  showing  granite  pedestal  erected  for  the  recep- 
tion of  a  Bronze  Statue  of  President  Kriiger. 

in  the  eye,  out  of  deep,  light-blue  eyes,  in  a  manner  that 
made  me  admire  him  at  once.  His  greeting  was  cordial 
in  the  extreme,  and  he  at  once  introduced  me  to  two  of  his 
men,  rough  enough  looking  customers,  whom  he  was  enter- 
taining at  breakfast.  His  manners  were  those  of  a  thorough 
man  of  the  world,  equally  at  home  in  all  societies,  but  he 
affects  a  carelessness  of  dress  and  rather  boisterous  manner, 
which  makes  him  vWy  popular.  In  the  strong,  classical 
regularity  of  his  features,  with  his  long  curly  hair  and  beard 

301 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

and  his  brilliantly  clear  complexion,  he  did  not  look  unlike 
a  portrait  of  St.  Peter  by  one  of  the  old  masters.  He  soon 
relieved  me  of  my  troubles  by  taking  me  to  the  govern- 
ment building  to  get  new  passports,  which  he  said  were 
necessary.  The  Boers  seemed  to  idolize  him,  and  as  we 
walked  across  the  square  our  progress  was  arrested  every 
few  steps  by  some  one  who  wanted  to  shake  his  hand. 
Even  the  women  pressed  about  him,  and  so  wonderful  was 
the  man's  memory  that  he  called  every  man  or  woman  by 
name,  never  hesitating  a  moment  or  making  a  single  mistake. 
Colonel  Blake  told  me,  as  we  entered  the  building,  that 
the  Government  had  been  removed  several  days  before  to 
Machadodorp,  but  that  he  would  find  somebody  who  would 
fix  my  papers  for  me.  In  a  stuffy  office,  crowded  with 
men  who  were  handling  a  lot  of  firearms,  many  of  them  of 
very  old  and  antique  pattern,  we  found  an  official  who 
looked  over  the  paper  the  Dutch  Consul  at  Lorenzo 
Marquez  had  given  me,  and  then  wrote  out  a  new  passport 
(date,  June  2,  1 900),  affixing  the  Government  seal  over  his 
signature.  It  was  not  until  some  weeks  later  that  I  learned 
that  in  those  few  seconds  I  had  become  a  member  of  the 
Irish  Brigade  myself,  for  my  new  passport  attached  me  to 
that  body  or  commando.  A  similar  one  was  made  out  for 
Mr.  Aamsden.  The  possession  of  my  new  passport  gave 
me  the  unique  position  of  holding  full  correspondent's 
passes  from  both  Boer  and  British  armies.  I  had  unlimited 
privileges  to  go  anywhere  in  the  lines  of  either  army,  out- 
posts and  scouting  lines  being  as  free  to  me  as  Cape  Town 
or  Pretoria.  It  was  in  my  power  to  go  absolutely  anywhere 
in  South  Africa, — a  thing  which  neither  **Bobs"  nor  Kriiger 
could  do,  and  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying  no  one  else  could. 
However,  the  direct  representatives  of  those  two  gentlemen 
had  accorded  me  these  unusual  privileges,  and  it  was  now 
for  me  to  see  that  I  did  not  abuse  them. 

302 


IN  THE  SHADOW  OF  SURRENDER 

Another  gentleman  I  met  after  dinner  was  Commandant 
Ben  Viljoen.  I  only  had  a  few  words  with  him,  but  he  im- 
pressed me  as  a  man  of  considerable  dignity,  and  quite  the 
opposite  of  his  reputation  as  it  had  filtered  through  the 
lines  into  the  British  camps.  When  the  Imperial  forces 
finally  take  Colonel  Blake  and  Commandant  Viljoen  pris- 
oners, they  will  be  agreeably  surprised  to  find  two  affable 
gentlemen  in  their  hands,  instead  of  the  ruffianly  characters 
the  English  press  has  made  them  appear. 

There  was  a  monotonous  sameness  in  the  appearance  of 
the  horsemen  continually  galloping  about  the  streets.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  apparent  system  ;  it  looked  as  though  it 
all  was  quite  aimless.  Nevertheless,  the  commandoes  pre- 
paring to  defend  the  city  gradually  formed  themselves  and 
took  positions  of  vantage,  described  by  one  who  had  been 
outside  as  *'  one  long,  unending  black  line  in  a  half-circle 
around  the  city."  The  Boers  had  burned  all  the  grass  on 
the  surrounding  hills,  so  that  against  the  black  surface  of 
the  veldt  the  khaki  uniforms  of  the  Imperial  army  would 
be  visible  for  many  miles. 

At  this  stage  of  affairs  it  was  very  desirable  for  me  to 
secure  a  horse.  At  any  moment  a  contingent  of  British 
troops  might  come  galloping  in  one  end  of  the  town,  and, 
naturally,  about  that  time  I  would  like  to  be  galloping  out 
at  the  other  end  at  the  same  time.  I  found  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  buy  any  sort  of  an  animal  for  the  simple  reason 
that  the  owners  all  had  the  same  idea  as  I  about  the  inad- 
visability  of  being  ''  around  "  when  the  khaki  streams  began 
to  pour  into  the  streets  of  Pretoria.  Borrowing  was  equally 
out  of  the  question.  Colonel  Blake  proving  very  friendly, 
I  offered  a  proper  inducement  to  several  of  his  men  if  they 
would  **  commandeer "  a  horse  for  me.  The  result  was 
that  for  two  days  and  nights  the  entire  brigade  were  on  the 
lookout,  especially  at  night.      One  of  them  confided  to  me 

303 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

that  my  friend  Consul  Hay  had  two  very  good  greys  which 
he  hoped  to  get  hold  of  that  evening.  I  made  no  comment, 
but  quietly  decided  not  to  call  on  Mr.  Hay  on  horseback, 
if  by  any  chance  or  fortune  I  should  become  possessed  of 
a  grey  horse. 

Since  this  might  come  to  pass,  I  thought  it  would  be  a 
good  plan  to  call  on  the  Consul  before  I  took  to  riding ;  so 
after  dinner  Mr.  Aamsden  and  I  walked  out  to  the  pretty 
little  suburb,  *' Sunnyside,"  where  all  the  foreign  consulates 
were  situated,  and,  following  the  direction  of  a  large  Amer- 
ican flag,  waving  sixty  feet  above  the  road,  we  found  under- 
neath its  graceful  folds  the  house  of  Mr.  Hay.  In  addition 
to  having  met  him  at  East  London,  while  he  was  on  his  way 
to  Pretoria,  I  also  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him  from 
his  father.  Colonel  John  Hay,  Secretary  of  State  of  the 
United  States.  It  was  quite  a  surprise  to  him  to  find  me 
turn  up  in  Pretoria  without  having  been  captured,  for  he 
had  really  expected  to  find  me  sooner  or  later  among  the 
prisoners  on  the  race-course,  where  they  were  penned. 
However,  he  gave  me  "  the  glad  hand,"  and  after  an  hour's 
chat  about  affairs  in  general  and  ourselves  in  particular,  we 
had  our  photographs  taken,  Mr.  Aamsden  kindly  manipu- 
lating my  camera.  Unfortunately,  this  film,  like  many 
others  equally  important,  was  ruined  in  the  developing. 
The  photograph  I  had  taken  at  East  London  of  Mr.  Hay, 
however,  had  turned  out  more  satisfactorily,  and  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  giving  him  a  print  of  it  before  I  left  Pre- 
toria. 

Returning  to  our  hotel,  we  had  dinner  with  Colonel 
Blake  and  some  of  the  Irish  Brigade,  who  furnished  us 
with  ample  excuses  for  their  dilatoriness  in  the  matter  of 
stealing  riding-horses  for  us.  During  the  afternoon,  while 
sitting  in  front  of  the  hotel,  still  hoping  and  praying  for 
those  mounts,  I  was  semi -paralyzed  to  see  sitting  in  a  pass- 

304 


305 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

ing  carriage  Mr.  Donahue,  of  Sydney,  Australia,  one  of  my 
co-war  correspondents  on  Lord  Roberts'  staff.  Beside  him 
was  a  portly,  important-looking  gentleman  of  middle  age. 
Without  thought  of  formality  I  ran  after  the  carriage  and 
jumped  in.  Donahue's  turn  of  paralysis  followed.  When 
he  recovered,  mutual  explanations  followed,  and  I  learned 
that  he  had  been  captured  by  a  Boer  patrol  a  few  days  be- 
fore while  riding  near  Johannesburg.  He  was  placed  on 
parole,  and  was  now  the  guest  of  Mr.  Mendelsohn,  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  "  Standard  and  Digger's  News,"  of  Johannes- 
burg. This  was  the  gentleman  beside  him  in  the  carriage. 
While  under  parole  he  was  not  given  much  freedom,  and 
the  carriage  ride  was  taken  at  some  risk  of  being  followed 
by  closer  confinement.  From  him  I  learned  that  two  other 
correspondents  were  paroled  and  under  guard  in  rooms  at 
the  very  hotel  at  which  I  was  stopping.  As  I  had  met  one 
of  them  during  the  raid  after  De  Wet  to  Dewetsdorp,  I 
took  my  card  and  knocked  at  their  door  as  soon  as  I  could 
get  back  to  the  hotel.  I  found  Lord  Cecil  Manners  and 
the  Earl  of  Rosslyn  very  comfortably  housed,  but  rather 
bored,  and  very  glad  to  receive  a  fellow-correspondent  of 
the  Imperial  army. 

Naturally  they  were  greatly  surprised  to  see  me  free  in 
Pretoria  while  they  were  confined,  and  still  more  so  to  find 
that  I  had  a  correspondent's  commission  with  the  Boer 
forces.  They  thought,  of  course,  I  had  been  captured  also, 
and  in  some  mysterious  manner  had  acquired  my  freedom 
and  all  these  privileges.  I  explained  the  situation,  and 
passed  a  very  pleasant  half-hour  with  them.  The  Earl  was 
kind  enough  to  ask  me  to  take  dinner  with  them,  a  cour- 
tesy I  was  compelled  to  decline  because  of  a  previous 
agreement  to  dine  with  Colonel  Blake.  In  this  connection 
I  mentioned  the  Colonel's  name,  and  both  gentlemen  were 
interested  at  once  in  what  I  had  to  say  of  the  man.     Lord 

306 


IN  THE  SHADOW  OF  SURRENDER 

Rosslyn  then  asked  me  to  bring  Colonel  Blake  to  call  on 
them  ;  but  as  I  was  ignorant  of  that  doughty  warrior's 
opinion  of  British  aristocracy,  I  could  only  say  I  would  do 
the  best  in  my  power  to  induce  him  to  call.  After  dinner 
I  mentioned  the  fact  to  Colonel  Blake  that  I  had  called  on 
the  prisoners  upstairs,  and  that  they  had  asked  me  to  bring 
him  in  to  see  them.  He  looked  rather  blankly  at  me  until 
I  added,  "■  They  seem  to  be  under  the  impression  that 
you  are  some  impossible  sort  of  a  swashbuckler,  and  I 
would  be  very  glad  if  you  would  go  up  with  me  and  let 
them  see  what  sort  of  a  man  you  really  are."  That  was 
enough. 

''Where's  their  room?"  he  asked,  starting  up  the  stair- 
way ahead  of  me.  "  Of  course  I'll  go  up  to  see  them,  and 
you'll  see  that  I  know  just  how  to  talk  to  them,  too." 
When  we  entered  the  room  he  followed  my  introduction, 
while  shaking  hands,  by  saying, 

"■  I  want  you  gentlemen  to  know  the  notorious  Colonel 
Blake,  as  that  wretched  rag,  the  *  Cape  Times,'  has  called 
me."  We  spent  the  entire  evening  with  the  distinguished 
prisoners,  and  the  Earl  and  Colonel  Blake  found  that  they 
had  been  opposite  each  other  during  a  number  of  engage- 
ments near  Ladysmith,  which  gave  their  conversation  a 
unique  and  mteresting  flavor.  Lord  Rosslyn  also  wanted 
to  know  how  he  could  recover  fifty  thousand  pounds  dam- 
ages from  my  American  paper,  which  he  said  had  libelled 
him  in  a  most  outrageous  manner,  picturing  him  as  a  ballet- 
dancer  some  years  before,  when  he  had  taken  part  in  pri- 
vate theatricals.      As  he  said, 

"  I  don't  mind  the  picture  so  much  ;  but  what  I  base  my 
claim  for  damages  on  is  that  the  paper  said  that  my  danc- 
ing was  so  bad  that  the  audience  hissed  me  off  the  stage." 
This  seemed  to  annoy  him  greatly,  though  he  did  not  mind 
our  laughing  at  him  about  it.      It  then  transpired,  curiously 

307 


WITH  "  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

enough,  that  Colonel  Blake  had  been  present  at  this  very 
performance  at  Queen's  Hall,  in  London,  and  that  started 
the  two  off  **  reminiscencing  "  again  at  a  great  rate. 

I  had  some  conversation  with  the  gentlemen  on  the  pro- 
priety of  my  having  changed  sides  during  the  war.  I 
quite  agreed  with  them  that  it  had  established  a  dangerous 


f 

1 

mm 

1 

.1 

I 

mmm, 

i 

I] 

1 

The  captured  Correspondents  on  the  portico  of  the  Grand  Hotel  at  Pretoria 
overlooking  the  Market  Square.  The  Earl  of  Rosslyn,  of  the  "Daily 
Mail,"  and  Lord  Cecil  Manners,  of  the  '*  Morning  Post."  Colonel  Blake, 
of  the  Irish  American  Brigade,  is  standing  between,  leaning  against  the 
post. 


precedent,  and  should  have  been  by  no  means  allowed ; 
that  it  was  bad  form  and  a  questionable  proceeding  alto- 
gether ;  while  on  the  other  hand  they  returned  the  compli- 
ment by  agreeing  with  me  that  from  the  newspaper  point 
of  view  it  was  a  brilliant  and  commendable  piece  of  work. 
I  held  the  view  that  a  newspaper  man  was  a  non-combatant, 

308 


IN  THE  SHADOW  OF  SURRENDER 

and  should  have  a  status  something  Hke  that  of  a  Red 
Cross  man,  being  equally  neutral.  It  seems  to  me  that 
news-gathering  during  a 'war  is  not  a  national  but  an  inter- 
national affair,  concering  all  nations  equally.  The  Earl  of 
Rosslyn  agreed  with  me,  for  he  had  based  his  claims  for 
release  on  these  very  grounds.  Lord  Manners  was  non- 
committal. 

Nominally  and  technically  speaking,  a  war  correspondent 
is  not  a  non-combatant.  On  the  contrary,  he  generally 
is  decidedly  a  participant  in  hostilities.  Not  that  he  often 
does  any  actual  fighting  ;  I  myself  went  through  the  entire 
period  of  my  experience  on  both  sides  during  the  war,  and 
never  carried  a  more  formidable  weapon  than  my  riding- 
whip  and  a  small  penknife  for  sharpening  my  lead-pencils. 
But,  really,  I  was  a  participant  in  the  war  on  both  sides. 
Every  time  I  carried  an  official  despatch  for  Lord  Roberts 
I  was  aiding  the  British  cause.  I  know  positively  that  it 
was  a  common  practice  for  correspondents  who  had  been 
out  with  the  scouts  to  report,  on  their  meeting  the  com- 
manding officer  of  a  body  of  troops,  what  they  had  seen  of 
the  enemy's  positions. 

Then,  too,  when  writing  to  their  papers,  the  British  cor- 
respondents left  nothing  undone  to  harm  their  enemy's 
prestige,  not  hesitating  to  give  outrageous  calumnies  as 
facts,  even  falling  so  low  as  to  attack  the  chastity  of  the 
Boer  women. 

I  think  I, have  given  sufficient  reasons  for  deciding  the 
status  of  a  correspondent.  He  is  a  combatant,  and  one  of 
the  most  efficient  and  deadly,  and  it  is  my  opinion  that 
whenever  he  is  captured  he  should  be  treated  as  a  prisoner 
of  war.  The  only  proper  alternative  is  the  organization  of 
an  international  association  of  war  correspondents  and  the 
selection  of  men  whose  personal  character  will  enable  them 
to  command  implicit  confidence,  and  men  whose  neutrality 

309 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

will  enable  them  to  report  the  facts  as  they  occur  without 
color  or  prejudice.  The  war  correspondent  is  a  necessity, 
for  he  is  the  direct  representative  of  the  public.  At  the 
same  time,  he  is  unquestionably  a  military  nuisance.  Such 
a  proceeding  as  my  own  in  going  from  one  side  to  the  other 
during  the  continuance  of  hostilities  should  either  be  uni- 
versally condemned  and  made  in  the  future  impossible,  or 
else  it  should  pave  the  way  for  an  international  status  for  the 


Dutch  Reformed  Church  directly  opposite  President  Kriiger's  residence  in 
Pretoria.  Before  and  during  the  war,  when  his  heahh  would  permit, 
the  President  would  preach  powerful  sermons  from  the  pulpit  of  this 
church. 


war  correspondent,  giving  him  still  greater  privileges.  My 
own  participation  in  the  hostilities  was  confined  to  the  carry- 
ing of  despatches,  which  I  repeatedly  did  for  the  authorities 
on  both  sides;  further  than  that,  either  in  act  of  arm  or 
word  of  mouth,  I  maintained  a  thoroughly  neutral  course, 
and  strictly  adhered  to  the  implied  and  defined  stipulations 
of  my  commissions  ;  but  at  the  same  time  I  frankly  admit 
that  it  was  a  dangerous  precedent  to  establish,  and  that  in 

310 


IN  THE  SHADOW  OF  SURRENDER 

future  wars  it  should  be  made  impossible  by  professional 
ethics  as  well  as  by  military  regulations. 

Colonel  Blake  was  greatly  pleased  with  his  reception  by 
**The  Lords,"  as  he  called  them,  and  during  the  next  two 
days  was. a  frequent  visitor  to  their  rooms.  I  trust  he  and 
I  made'  an  equally  favorable  impression  on  them.  I  had 
met  Lord  Manners  before,  and  found  him  the  same  quiet, 
dignified  gentleman  of  the  earlier  days  in  Bloemfontein, 
differing  only  by  the  addition  of  an  air  of  languid  weariness 
brought  on  by  the  lack  of  exercise.  Lord  Rosslyn  was 
busy  in  writing  his  diary,  and  showed  no  signs  of  boredom, 
being  very  much  alive  and  interested  in  what  the  Colonel 
had  to  say.  Their  discussion  of  the  merits  of  the  war, 
when  we  all  freely  expressed  our  honest  opinions  without 
reserve,  was  interesting  in  the  extreme  ;  I  regret  that  it 
was  of  such  a  nature  that  its  implied  privacy  forbids  its 
repetition.  I  can  only  say  for  Colonel  Blake  that  he  made 
the  surprising  statement, 

"  The  English  people  are  the  best  friends  I  have,  and 
against  them  I  have  no  feelings.  My  fight  is  a  personal 
one,  and  is  against  those  three  scoundrels,  Rhodes,  Milner 
and  Chamberlain,  and  until  I  die  they  will  always  have  me 
to  fight,  whether  it  be  here  in  South  Africa,  in  a  Continental 
army  in  Europe,  or  in  the  Orient."  This  personal  bitter- 
ness dates  back  to  the  days  of  the  exploiting  of  Rhodesia 
and  the  Chartered  Company,  when  certain  exposures  in 
the  British  press  by  Colonel  Blake  precipitated  a  financial 
collapse  and  made  a  general  sensation,  also  many  and 
powerful  enemies  for  the  Colonel.  *'  But  that  is  another 
story,"  which  the  Colonel  told  Mr.  Aamsden  and  myself 
after  we  left  '*  The  Lords"  that  evening,  talking  until  far 
into  the  night. 

The  evening  had  been  intensely  interesting  to  Mr. 
Aamsden,   who    had   accompanied   us,   as   well  as  to  me, 

311 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

although  I  cannot  honestly  forgive  the  three  captured  cor- 
respondents for  getting  into  Pretoria  before  I  did,  and  thus 
preventing  my  achieving  the  honor  of  being  the  first  of 
Lord  Roberts'  correspondents  to  get  into  the  enemy's 
capital. 


312 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE    LAST    DAY    AT    PRETORIA. 

THE  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  the  streets  seemed  to  be 
entirely  deserted.  The  first  thing  I  did  was  to  hunt 
up  Colonel  Blake.  In  his  turn,  the  first  thing  he  did  was 
to  hunt  up  **  The  Lords."  The  proprietor  of  the  hotel  was 
a  German  ;  and,  since  it  was  obvious  that  within  a  few  days 
the  English  would  be  in  possession  of  the  city,  Blake  and 
the  Boers  generally  were  at  a  discount  with  him,  while 
lords,  even  in  confinement,  were  at  a  big  premium.  The 
result  was  that  while  "The  Lords"  had  all  the  liqueurs, 
cigars  and  cigarettes  they  wanted,  Blake  and  some  others 
found  themselves  unable  to  get  a  drop  of  anything  ;  for,  in 
addition  to  the  Boer  laws  against  selling  liqueurs  during  the 
reign  of  martial  law,  the  supply  still  on  hand  was  being 
carefully  hoarded  by  the  crafty  Teutonic  landlord  until  the 
arrival  of  the  British. 

This  being  the  situation,  it  is  not  surprising  that  **  The 
Lords  "  became  a  popular  resort  among  the  select  few  who 
had  the  privilege  of  their  acquaintance.  Photographs  were 
taken  of  them  on  the  balcony  outside  their  room,  where 
they  had  the  right  to  promenade.  Frequent  visits  were 
made  to  them  during  the  day  **to  keep  them  posted,"  for, 
poor  lords,  they  had  no  means  of  knowing  what  was  going 
on  except  through  their  visitors.  Later  in  the  morning 
Colonel  Blake  escorted  Mr.  Aamsden  and  me  to  Presi- 
dent Kriiger's  cottage,  where  we  were  introduced  to  two 
of  the  old  man's  daughters,  and  by  special  influence  of  the 
Colonel  we  were  allowed  to  take  a  photograph  of  the  inte- 

313 


WITH  ''  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

rior  of  the  Presidential  parlor,  showing  a  huge  gilded  eagle, 
the  embleiji  of  liberty,  presented  by  Colonel  Blake,  as  chair- 
man of  a  committee  of  Americans,  to  the  President  at  the 
time  of  the  Jameson  raid.  The  remainder  of  the  day  was 
spent  in  photographing  various  scenes  of  interest  about  town. 


The  Piazza  or  Stoop  of  the  White  House,  President  Kriiger's  Cottage  at  Pre- 
toria. The  persons  are,  from  left  to  right,  the  youngest  daughter  of  the 
President,  his  grandchild,  one  of  his  daughters  in-law,  the  author,  and 
Colonel  Blake,  of  the  Irish  Brigade. 


Incidentally  I  met  Mr.  Sutherland,  who  had  accompanied 
the  Philadelphia  messenger  boy  who  had  brought  a  mes- 
sage of  sympathy  for  the  Boers  to  President  Kriiger  from 
the  boys  of  the  Quaker  City.  A  law-and-order  commit- 
tee had  been  organized  to  police  the  city  after  the  with- 
drawal of  the  burghers,  and  to  prevent  looting  and  other 

314 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT  PRETORIA 

lawlessness  before  the  entry  of  the  British,  when  the  city 
should  be  surrendered.  Mr.  Sutherland,  after  acting  as 
escort  for  the  bearer  of  the  message  of  sympathy,  had  him- 
self been  placed  on  this  police  force,  and  had  made  arrange- 
ments to  be  the  bearer  of  the  city's  surrender  to  Lord 
Roberts.  Whether  this  spectacle  of  an  American  sur- 
rendering the  capital  of  the  Transvaal,  another  republic, 
took  place  or  not,  I  cannot  say. 

During  the  afternoon  there  were  a  number  of  false 
alarms  that  the  British  were  entering  the  city.  A  few 
days  previously  the  city  was  about  to  be  surrendered,  a 
panic  having  caused  the  burghers  to  withdraw ;  they  re- 
turned again,  however,  and  no  damage  was  done  beyond 
the  looting  of  some  government  stores  by  a  mob.  As  was 
done  in  Bloemfontein,  barricades  were  erected  in  front  of 
the  plate-glass  show-windows  of  the  principal  stores.  I 
noticed  a  crowd  in  the  street  toward  evening  surrounding  a 
man  In  khaki,  with  whom  I  quickly  had  some  conversa- 
tion, his  guard  making  no  objection.  He  was  a  scout  who 
had  been  captured  near  Johannesburg,  and  was  spreading 
the  information  to  the  surrounding  crowd  that  Generals 
French  and  Hutton,  with  twenty  thousand  men  each,  were 
approaching  Pretoria  on  either  flank,  while  *'  Bobs,"  with 
forty  thousand  infantry,  was  marching  in  the  centre.  This 
was  probably  correct.  Accurate  information  was  hard  to 
obtain,  for  the  regular  authorities  had  left  the  city,  and 
their  substitutes  were  in  a  perturbed  and  confused  state  of 
mind,  being  besieged  with  applications  for  information  from 
all  quarters,  and  giving  more  or  less  inaccurate  replies — in 
Dutch.  I  depended  mainly  on  Colonel  Blake  for  informa- 
tion, as  he  had  guaranteed  to  keep  me  informed  in  time  to 
leave  the  city  before  the  British  should  enter.  There  was 
nothing  I  so  much  dreaded  as  to  run  the  slightest  risk  of 
being  detained  by  the  English  authorities,  if  even  for  only 

315 


WITH   ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


half  a  day,  for  in  that  time  something  might  happen,  the 
missing  of  which  might  mean  professional  disaster  to  me  as 
a  correspondent. 

After   another   evening   spent   with    Colonel   Blake   and 
*'  The   Lords  "    we  retired  for  the  night,  it  being  very  un- 


The  parlor  of  the  White  House,  showing  huge  gilt  American  Eagle,  presented 
to  President  Kriiger  by  Colonel  Blake,  as  chairman  of  a  committee  of 
Americans  during  the  time  of  the  Jameson  Raid.  This  is  the  only  pho- 
tograph of  the  parlor  of  the  White  House  taken  up  to  this  time. 

certain  who  would  be  in  possession  of  the  city  in  the  morn- 
ing, Boer  or  British.  Before  we  had  put  out  the  lights  our 
room  was  invaded  by  a  half  Dutch,  half  Irish  scrub-woman, 
as  ugly  as  sin,  and  certainly  not  less  than  fifty  years  old. 
She  demanded  a  revolver  of  Colonel  Blake.  She  said, 
'*  They  say  the   British  soldiers   are  going  to  take  the  city 

316 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT  PRETORIA 

to-morrow,  and  I  am  a  lone  woman,  and  I  want  to  have  a 
revolver  to  protect  myself  against  them."  She  was  very 
much  excited,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that  Colonel 
Blake  convinced  her  that  the  British  soldiers  would  not 
harm  her.  *'  They  may  be  brutes,  but  her  face  is  sufficient 
protection,"  added  Blake  as  the  old  woman  pottered  off. 

In  was  evident  the  next  morning  that  Pretoria  was  to  fall 
at  once.  Early,  before  breakfast,  heavy  guns  were  heard  to 
the  south  of  the  city.  Their  dull  boom  came  faintly  through 
the  open  windows,  and  recalled  the  days  of  Paardeburg  and 
the  heavy  black  pall  of  lyddite  vapor  over  Cronje's  laager. 
It  was  estimated  that  about  fifteen  thousand  burghers  had 
concentrated  for  the  defence  of  the  capital.  General  Botha 
really  only  had  about  2500  to  defend  the  city.  There  was 
little  excitement  in  Pretoria,  although  there  were  many 
people  on  the  streets,  and  squads  of  horsemen  were  con- 
tinually galloping  by  in  every  direction.  Gradually  the 
majority  found  their  way  along  the  road  leading  to  the 
railway  station,  beyond  which  the  fighting  was  expected  to 
take  place.  On  the  way  to  the  station,  in  passing  the  rail- 
way offices  I  dropped  in,  asked  for  the  superintendent,  pre- 
sented my  credentials,  and  received  for  Mr.  Aamsden  and 
myself  railway  passes  over  the  entire  line.  Then  for 
greater  security  I  had  my  baggage  conveyed  to  the  sta- 
tion, while  my  partner  decided  to  stay  and  see  the  entry 
of  the  British  troops.  I  was  determined  to  get  out  before 
this  could  happen. 

The  streets  were  now  filling  up  ;  many  of  the  burghers 
were  dismounted,  but  nevertheless  hurried  along  on  foot, 
eager  to  be  at  the  front  to  aid  in  resisting  the  attacking 
forces.  The  regular  daily  train  eastward  was  to  leave  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  as  that  hour  approached,  to  quiet  a 
vague  feeling  of  uneasiness  I  moved  my  baggage  close  to 
the  train.     So  far  as  I  could  learn,  the  exceptional  occasion 

317 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

would  not  cause  any  change  in  the  running  of  trains  by  the 
railway  authorities,  and  this  would  be  the  last  train  until 
next  day.  A  big  crowd  was  gathered  at  the  station,  but  I 
was  somewhat  surprised  not  to  see  more  people  getting 
ready  to  leave  ;  there  were  very  few,  as  the  refugees  had 
almost  all  left  in  the  preceding  week.  Those  remaining 
were  prepared  to  endure  a  siege  or  surrender  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy. 

Colonel  Blake  had  sent  a  dozen  or  more  of  his  unmounted 
men  to  entrain  for  the  new  capital  at  Machadodorp,  for  he 
was  fearful  of  the  kind  of  treatment  his  Irish  lads  mig-ht 
receive  if  captured  by  the  British.  His  mounted  men  could 
be  depended  upon  to  take  care  of  themselves.  He  him- 
self was  galloping  off  on  a  fine  Irish  hunter  he  had  cap- 
tured from  an  English  officer  at  Ladysmith.  He  waved 
his  hand  to  me,  and  his  white  silk  handkerchief  about  his 
neck  showed  up  brightly  in  the  sun  as  he  turned  a  distant 
corner,  and  I  had  had  my  last  look  at  that  gallant  officer 
and  soldier  of  fortune,  Colonel  Blake,  formerly  of  West 
Point  and  the  United  States  army. 

On  the  hills  above  the  station  were  seen  groups  of  men 
and  women  watching  something  on  the  other  side.  Oh,  if 
one  of  those  confounded  Irishmen  would  only  commandeer 
somebody's  horse  for  me,  so  I  could  ride  out  and  see 
the  battle  !  I  would  rather  lose  my  baggage  than  miss  that. 
On  the  hills  were  forts  faintly  visible,  but  they  appeared  to 
be  unoccupied.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  had  been  dis- 
mantled the  preceding  night,  the  heavy  guns  had  been 
brought  down  to  the  station,  and  were  at  this  very  time 
mounted  on  railway  trucks  for  removal.  For  months  these 
guns  had  stood  guard  over  the  city  in  a  semicircle  of  forts 
surrounding  it,  silently  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  Imperial 
army,  but  with  their  muzzles  pointed  toward  the  town. 
Why  was  this  ?    No  one  could  tell  me  ;  perhaps  they  were 

318 


THE  LAST  DAY  AT  PRETORIA 

waiting  for  the  occupation,  and  would  then  belch  forth 
their  showers  of  death  upon  patriot  and  foe  aHke,  that 
Oom  Paul's  prediction  would  become  true — *'  The  price  of 
peace  will  be  one  that  will  stagger  humanity." 

However  that  may  be,  they  were  now  dismantled  and 
ingloriously  packed  on  low  ballast  trucks,  to  be  hauled  out 
of  range  and  out  of  danger.  A  few  men  and  women,  and 
perhaps  half  a  dozen  men  besides  the  Irish  contingent,  were 


The  last  passenger  train  leaving  Pretoria  before  the  surrender,  on  which  the 
author  was  a  lucky  passenger. 

boarding  the  train.  The  Colonel  failed  to  make  good  his 
promise  to  have  a  horse  commandeered  for  me,  so  I  walked 
nervously  about,  pretending  to  be  intensely  interested  in 
the  cannon  and  Maxim  guns  on  the  trucks  near  by,  ready 
to  be  pulled  out  of  town  at  the  first  indication  of  danger. 
Which  way  would  they  go  ?  eastward  for  safety,  or  south- 
ward for  defence  ?  But  I  was  not  a  bit  interested.  I  would 
have  liked  to  go  out,  even  on  foot,  to  see  the  fighting; 
but  to  risk  missing  the  last  train,  and  thereby  becoming  cut 

319 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

off  from  the  Transvaal  government  and  my  news-getting, 
was  a  serious  matter. 

Eleven  o'clock  came,  yet  the  train  did  not  start.  I 
bought  half  a  dozen  oranges  from  a  vendor,  gave  a  few 
away,  stuffed  some  into  my  pockets,  and  mechanically 
peeled  one  for  myself  A  few  minutes  after  half-past  eleven 
a  bell  clanged  three  times  in  quick  succession,  whereupon 
I  threw  my  baggage  through  the  window  of  the  nearest 
empty  compartment,  and,  after  a  quick  good-by  to  my 
partner,  swung  myself  on  the  train  as  it  moved  off 

The  die  was  cast.  If  the  British  were  driven  back,  I  had 
made  the  mistake  of  my  life.  If  the  Boers  fell  back,  my 
staying  would  be  as  bad.  I  found  myself  selfishly  hoping 
for  the  fall  of  Pretoria,  that  my  judgment  in  fleeing  might 
be  vindicated.  The  city  remained  in  sight,  as  the  train 
moved  slowly  off,  for  half  an  hour.  At  the  same  time  the 
British  opened  fire  with  their  naval  guns,  and  several  lyd- 
dite shells  were  seen  falling  into  Pretoria.  Thank  good- 
ness, I  was  right ;  if  the  British  were  near  enough  to  drop 
shells  into  the  city  it  would  surrender  at  once,  and  I  would 
be  safely  out  of  it,  and  in  just  the  nick  of  time.  But  one 
thing  marred  my  satisfaction  ;  my  overcoat,  the  companion 
of  my  trip  to  the  Klondyke — light,  stylish,  and  durable, 
endeared  by  many  associations,  and  just  the  thing  for  horse- 
back riding — this  precious  article  of  clothing  had  been  for- 
gotten, and  was  still  in  my  room  at  the  Grand  Hotel. 


320 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

A    CHAPTER    OF    COINCIDENCES. 

THE  train  rushed  jerkily  on  toward  Middleburg,  and 
then  on  to  Machadodorp,  where  I  arrived  late  at 
night — too  late  for  supper,  and  just  in  time  to  secure  the 
last  vacant  bed  in  the  hotel,  and  even  that  not  an  object  of 
vanity.  I  had  eaten  nothing  but  a  few  oranges  since  break- 
fast, every  one  was  in  bed,  no  information  was  to  be  had, 
it  was  bitter  cold,  and  sleep  was  well-nigh  impossible,  so 
I  lay  awake  and  reflected  how  the  more  widely  a  man 
travels  the  more  he  realizes  how  very  small  the  world  really 
is.  This  line  of  thought  was  suggested  by  an  incident  of 
my  trip  from  Pretoria  to  Machadodorp  that  afternoon.  I 
scraped  acquaintance  on  the  train  with  a  German  newspaper 
man,  and  as  a  result  of  our  friendship,  casual  though  it  was, 
the  following  curious  coincidences  occurred.  It  will  be  re- 
membered in  the  part  of  my  narrative  describing  the  advance 
on  Bloemfontein  I  devoted  some  space  to  a  trip  I  made 
from  Modder  River  station  to  Osfontein  camp  in  company 
with  Mr.  Alfred  Hutton,  the  Renter's  Agency  correspon- 
dent who  escaped  from  Ladysmith  during  the  siege  of  that 
place.  Among  the  many  tales  with  which  Hutton  had  en- 
livened the  tedium  of  those  two  days  in  the  veldt  was  one 
of  how,  after  writing  a  long  cable  message,  he  had  entrusted 
it  with  his  last  and  best  horse  to  a  Kaffir  servant,  and  sent 
him  out  mto  the  darkness  to  find  a  way  through  the  Boer 
lines  to  the  telegraph  office  in  the  British  camp  under  Gen- 
eral Buller.  After  escaping,  he  learned  that  the  Kaffir  had 
21  321 


WITH  ''  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

never  reached  his  destination.  His  fate — whether  killed 
or  captured — was  unknown.  Hutton  regretted  the  loss  of 
the  horse  very  much.  The  weeks  had  rolled  by  rapidly 
since  then.  Poplar  Grove,  Driefontein,  the  occupation  of 
Bloemfontein,  French's  raid  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
Free  State  in  pursuit  of  De  Wet,  and  finally,  after  a  long 


t)ismounted  members  of  the  Irish  Brigade  en  route  to  Machadodorp,  the  new 
Capital,  to  avoid  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  from  whom  they 
expected  torture  and  execution. 


and   weary  wait,   the  general  advance    northward   toward 
Pretoria  had  followed. 

Meanwhile  a  strange  destiny  had  taken  me  away  from 
the  British  army  at  Brandfort,  back  to  the  Cape,  then  up 
the  east  coast  to  Lorenzo  Marquez,  and  finally,  on  June 
1st,  into  Pretoria  itself,  where  four  days  later  I  started  east- 
ward again  on  the  last  train  to  leave  that  city,  on  which  I 
had  the  fortune  to  meet  this  German  correspondent  in  my 
compartment.      He  was  also  a  Transvaal  burgher,  and  had 

322 


A  CHAPTER  OF  COINCIDENCES 

been  fighting  valiantly  with  both  pen  and  Mauser  for  their 
cause. 

He  grew  quite  friendly  during  our  trip,  and,  among  other 
tales,  told  how,  while  on  patrol  near  the  Utrecht  laager, 
close  by  the  railway  station  outside  of  Ladysmith,  one 
dark,  stormy  night  during  the  siege,  he  saw  a  dusky- 
mounted  figure  approaching  which  took  no  notice  of  his 
repeated  challenges.  After  the  third  warning,  as  the 
figure  appeared  to  be  attempting  to  avoid  him,  he  raised  his 
rifle  and  fired.  The  stranger  turned  to  escape,  but  the 
second  shot  tumbled  him  off  the  horse,  which  immediately 
stopped  and  stood  still.  The  rider  was  a  Kaffir,  and  the 
correspondent  found,  on  examination,  that  the  bullet  had 
struck  him  in  the  neck,  entering  the  spinal  column  and 
killing  him  instantly.  He  captured  the  horse  and  turned 
over  a  bagful  of  papers  and  letters  to  his  commandant.  On 
inspection  of  these,  a  package  was  found  which,  owing  to 
his  profession,  the  commandant  allowed  him  to  keep,  as 
well  as  the  horse.  Here  my  German  friend  cut  short  his 
narrative  to  open  a  small  school-bag  which  was  doing  him 
service  as  a  writing-case,  and  took  out  a  stained  and  worn 
bundle  of  telegraph  forms,  on  which  were  some  words 
written  in  lead-pencil.  These  I  read  through  with  in- 
terest to  the  end,  where  my  startled  eyes  read,  in  the  place 
designated  for  the  sender's  signature,  *''  A.  Hutton,  Renter's 
Correspondent,  Ladysmith."  It  was  the  lost  message! 
Neither  money  nor  persuasion  would  induce  my  new  friend 
to  part  with  the  original  papers.  However,  he  allowed  me 
to  make  a  copy  of  them,  I  following  every  line  and  word 
closely,  even  imitating  the  original  mistakes  and  corrections 
made  by  Hutton. 

As  the  captor  of  the  horse  and  papers  has  since  left  the 
Transvaal  and  returned  to  Germany  there  is  no  harm  in  my 
giving  his  name,  which  he  signed  to  my  copy  of  the  mes- 

323 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

sage.  He  is  well  known  in  Germany  through  his  corre- 
spondence to  many  papers  during  the  war.  By  way  as  a 
finale,  he  said,  when  I  told  him  I  knew  Hutton, 

"  The  horse  is  still  in  Johannesburg.  I  told  my  boy  to 
kill  him  if  the  English  came  ;  but  if  it  is  still  alive,  tell  your 
friend  Herr  Hutton  that  I  make  him  a  present  of  it  back 
again — if  he  can  find  it."  He  signed  his  name  *'  Fritz  van 
Strarten,  Editor,  Suid  Afrikanische  Correspondentz,  Johan- 
nesburg, P.  O.  box  624."  Three  months  later,  by  an- 
other mere  accident,  I  nearly  collided  with  Hutton  him- 
self one  Sunday  evening  while  walking  in  Piccadilly,  Lon- 
don. I  tumbled  him  into  a  cab,  accepting  no  excuses,  and 
after  dinner  at  my  hotel  spread  out  this  story  and  the 
copied  message  before  him.  Both  he  and  I  were  about  the 
last  men  each  expected  to  meet  in  London,  and  our  meet- 
ing at  all  was  about  as  great  a  surprise  as  my  having  the 
copy  of  his  original  message,  which  he  read  through  care- 
fully, with  amazement  plainly  depicted  on  his  face,  recog- 
nizing every  word.  When  he  had  finished  he  looked  at  me 
long  in  silence,  and  then  agreed  with  me  that  the  ''yarn" 
was  only  another  proof  that  the  world  of  men  and  things 
is  very  small  indeed. 

This  meeting  with  the  German  correspondent,  and  the 
train  of  reminiscences  it  had  started,  furnished  food  for 
meditation  while  I  shivered  in  that  cold  room  at  the  Hotel 
Machadodorp  the  night  of  my  arrival.  Finally  I  fell 
asleep. 


324 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

THE    TRAVELLING    RAILWAY    CARRIAGE    CAPITAL    AT 
MACHADODORP. 

WITH  the  first  suggestion  of  dawn,  hinting  at  the 
coming  of  another  day,  an  answered  knock  at  my 
door  revealed  a  distinguished-looking  officer,  who  proved 
to  be  Lieutenant  Thompson,  the  Netherlands  military  at- 
tache. He  rolled  up  in  his  blankets  on  the  floor  and  told 
me  that  he  had  left  Pretoria,  late  in  the  afternoon,  on  a 
truck  that  was  part  of  a  freight  train  ;  that  five  lyddite 
shells  had  fallen  near  the  station  ;  and  in  Sunnyside,  near 
the  foreign  consulates,  a  fragment  of  one  shell  tore  away  a 
part  of  the  United  States  flag  over  the  American  Consulate. 
Also  that  heavy  fighting  was  in  progress,  and  that  he  had 
no  idea  of  the  result. 

The  night  was  very  cold,  so  when  he  concluded  I  snug- 
gled closer  under  my  blankets  and  tried  to  imagine  how 
miserable  he  must  have  been  in  that  cold  wind  on  the  open 
truck.  We  got  better  acquainted  in  the  morning  as  we 
took  a  dry  wash  on  the  same  towel,  and  then  went  out  to 
get  breakfast  and  look  at  Machadodorp.  In  the  dining- 
room  of  the  hotel  I  met  Captain  Reichman,  the  American 
mihtary  attache,  presented  my  letters  of  introduction  to 
him,  and,  after  some  conversation,  requested  him  to  intro- 
duce me  to  the  proper  government  official,  who  he  said  was 
Secretary  Reitz.  Mr.  Reitz  had  just  left  the  dining-room 
and  had  gone  to  his  private  car.  The  car  provided  for  the 
attaches  was  adjoining  it,  and  so  we  all  went  there  together, 
where  I  was  duly  presented  to  His  Excellency,   Staadt's 

325 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


Secretary  F.  W.  Reitz.  Mr.  Reitz  invited  me  into  his  car, 
informing  me  that  I  was  the  only  war  correspondent  re- 
maining with  the  Boers,  and  that,  this  being  the  case,  he 
would  ''take  good  care  of"  me.  I  asked  him  if  Pretoria 
had  surrendered,  and,  if  it  had,  would  the  war  be  over? 
He  did  not  know  for  certain,  but  assumed  that  the  sur- 
render would  take  place  that  morning. 

"In  any  event,"   he  said,   ''the  war   will  not  be   over. 
Guerrilla  warfare  is  certain  for   some  time  to  come.      Our 


The  new  Capital  at  Machadodorp,  showing  a  supply  train  leaving  for  the  front 
at  Balmoral,  where  General  Botha  was  encamped. 

burghers  are  determined  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end,  probably 
retiring  to  Leydenburg,  where  we  can  continue  to  hold  out 
for  many  months." 

I  learned  that  all  the  artillery  had  been  successfully 
brought  away,  that  two  train-loads  of  English  prisoners  had 
been  brought  from  the  pen  at  Waterval  and  were  on  their 
way  farther  east,  and  that  two  more  train-loads  were  ex- 
pected later  in  the  day.  They  were  to  be  sent  to  Nooit- 
gedacht  and  imprisoned  in  a  barb-wired  enclosure  on  the 
open  veldt. 

326 


THE  CAPITAL  AT  MACHADODORP 

An  official  bulletin  announced  that  the  Federal  forces  had 
retired  from  the  west  to  Pretoria  before  the  British,  who  had 
advanced  to  within  three  miles.  General  Botha  had  in- 
formed Lord  Roberts  that  he  would  abandon  the  defence 
of  the  capital,  consigning  the  women  and  children  to  Eng- 
lish protection.  Then,  cutting  the  wires  to  destroy  fur- 
ther communication,  he  had  retired  eastward  of  Pretoria 
about  six  miles.  During  the  evening  and  night  the  Impe- 
rial scouts  entered  the  city.  The  formal  occupation  would 
likely  take  place  the  next  day.  General  Botha  had  taken 
up  a  new  position,  half-circling  the  city,  six  miles  east- 
ward. President  Kriiger  was  still  waiting  for  further  in- 
formation. 

Later  information  came  in  that  the  Boers,  about  fifteen 
thousand  strong,  were  falling  back  toward  Middleburg 
with  all  their  artillery.  It  was  also  said  that  General 
French  had  lost  about  one  thousand  men.  This  report 
lacked  official  confirmation.  Secretary  Reitz  told  me,  also, 
that  General  De  Wet  had  cut  off  Lord  Roberts'  communi- 
cations south  of  Johannesburg,  and  that  President  Steyn, 
having  ''  Proclaimed  the  Free  State,"  was  marching  south- 
ward, and  had  informed  President  Kriiger  that  he  would 
"  retake  Bloemfontein."  After  I  had  extracted  about  all 
the  general  information  from  His  Excellency  that  I  could, 
I  cautiously  approached  the  main  object  of  my  trip  into  the 
Transvaal,  and  bluntly  asked  Mr.  Reitz  to  secure  me  an  in- 
terview with  President  Kriiger. 

**  Quite  impossible,"  was  his  answer.  *' You  see,  the 
President  is  now  practically  a  refugee  from  his  home,  and 
since  he  was  forced  to  leave  Pretoria  he  has  felt  very  sen- 
sitive about  it,  and  refuses  to  be  interviewed  for  any  news- 
papers. Only  two  days  ago  a  prominent  American  war 
correspondent,  to  whom  he  felt  very  kindly,  made  the  same 
request,  and  I  was  forced  to  refuse  him." 

327 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

"Very  well,"  I  assented;  "I  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
interviewing  you,  at  any  rate."  He  laughed  pleasantly, 
and  said, 

"I'm  glad  to  be  of  any  service  to  you.  Come  to  me 
any  time  you  want  anything,  and,  if  possible,  I'll  help  you 
out."  After  some  hesitancy  I  told  Mr.  Reitz  of  my  hav- 
ing been  with  Lord  Roberts  for  five  months,  and  added, 
by  way  of  explanation. 


Captain  Carl  Reichmnn,  the  American  Military  Attache  to  the  Transvaal 
armies  ;  who  indignantly  denies  the  report  that  he  was  in  command  of 
the  Boers  at  Koornspruit  when  they  captured  seven  guns,  one  hundred 
supply  carts  and  six  hundred  prisoners  from  the  British. 

*'  I  want  to  see  something  of  this  side,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  judge  of  the  right  and  wrong  in  this  war  solely  on  its 
merits,  without  prejudice,  and  after  having  seen  both  sides 
myself"  I  hesitated  considerably  before  making  this  con- 
fession, but  I  decided  to  do  so  on  remembering  scout  Burn- 
ham's  experience  while  a  prisoner  under  De  Wet,  for  I  was 
afraid  some  idiotic  English  prisoner  might  recognize  me 
and  ''give  me  away."      Fortunately,  as  events  proved,  it 

328 


THE  CAPITAL  AT  MACHADODORP' 

was  the  wisest  thing  I  could  have  done.  Mr.  Rcitz  did 
not  seem  to  think  there  was  anything  odd  about  my  hav- 
ing come  around  to  the  Boer  side,  and  merely  said, 

"  I  hope  you  will  come  to  see  that  we  are  in  the  right, 
and  do  what  you  can  through  your  newspaper  connections 
to  make  the  rest  of  the  world  see  the  same  thing."  At  this 
juncture  a  message  was  brought  to  Mr.  Reitz,  which  he 
read  hastily,  and  then  excused  himself  to  me,  sayings 

''The  President  has  sent  for  me;  I  must  go  at  once. 
Don't  hesitate  to  call  on  me  at  any  time  ;  FU  tell  you  if  I 
happen  to  be  too  busy  to  talk." 

We  left  the  car  together,  and  I  began  to  wander  about 
the  station  and  the  tracks,  looking  at  the  government  outfit 
established  in  half  a  dozen  private  cars,  with  a  printing- 
office  and  the  Treasury  Department  in  ordinary  box-cars. 
Suddenly,  back  on  the  last  siding,  in  a  corner  of  a  high 
embankment,  I  found  the  Presidential  private  car,  with  a 
travelling  telegraph-office  attached.  There  was  a  wide 
space  in  front,  and  the  bright  sunshine  and  a  picturesque 
Johannesburg  policeman  on  guard  suggested  a  photograph. 
What  was  more,  there  was  the  old  President  himself,  plainly 
visible  at  the  window.  I  unslung  my  camera  and  pressed 
the  button,  taking  a  snap-shot.  As  I  was  about  to  walk 
away,  I  noticed  the  President  and  several  other  gentlemen 
inside  the  car  were  turning  to  look  at  me.  Somewhat  em- 
barrassed, I  started  to  walk  more  quickly  and  get  out  of 
their  range  of  vision,  when  I  heard  some  one  calling  me. 
Looking  around,  I  saw  Mr.  Reitz  standing  at  the  door  of 
the  car.      He  called  again,  saying, 

"  I  say,  Colonel !  I  have  been  telling  the  President  about 
you,  and  he  wants  to  see  you  ;  now  is  a  good  time  for  you 
to  get  your  interview." 

I  quickly  pressed  the  button  a  second  time,  getting  a 
view  of  the  Secretary,  and  then  followed  him  into  the  car. 

329 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

I  found  myself  in  a  comparatively  luxurious  apartment, 
half  the  length  of  the  car,  with  a  table  in  the  middle,  and 
revolving  chairs  alongside  in  front  of  each  window.  In 
one  of  these  Mr.  Kriiger  was  sitting,  a  small  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  holding  the  bowl  in  his  left  hand.  A  rusty  silk 
hat  trimmed  with  crepe  was  on  his  head,  his  clothes  were 
black,  frock-coat  pattern,  dusty  and  soiled  with  drippings 
from  his  meals.  He  remained  motionless  when  I  entered, 
and  after  Mr.  Reitz  finished  speaking  while  presenting  me, 


The  famous  railway  carriage  Capital  of  President  Kruger,  showing  Secretary 
Reitz  extending  the  President's  invitation  to  the  author  for  an  interview. 


the  old  Statesman  held  out  his  right  hand  for  me  to  grasp. 
His  fingers  felt  cold  and  soft,  reminding  me  of  a  fistful 
of  small  sausages.  His  hand  remained  limp,  phlegmatically 
unresponsive  to  the  pressure  of  my  fingers.  Then  his  hand 
dropped  to  his  side,  and  he  continued  looking  at  me  through 
his  clear  gold-rimmed  spectacles,  puffing  out  great  clouds 
of  smoke  from  his  mouth  and  maintaining  a  silence  which 
was  fast  making  me  nervous.  Was  he  suspicious  of  this 
correspondent  who  did  not  hesitate  to  admit  he  had  just 
come  from  the  enemy's  camp  ?    There  was  not  a  word  or 

330 


THE  CAPITAL  AT  MACHADODORP 

sign  to  indicate  what  he  was  thinking.  It  was  plainly  "  up 
to  me  "  to  say  something,  so  I  pumped  out, 

*'  Mr.  President,  we  Americans  make  it  one  of  our  boasts 
that  every  citizen  has  the  privilege  of  grasping  the  hand  of 
our  Chief  Executive.  I  have  met  Mr.  McKinley,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  greatest  Republic  in  the  world  ;  now  I  am  proud 
to  have  met  the  greatest  President  in  the  world." 

Then  Mr.  Reitz  commenced  talking  to  the  President  in 
Dutch,  and  I  imagined  that  he  was  explaining  that  my  form 
of  lunacy  was  a  mild  one,  and  not  at  all  dangerous.  When 
he  had  finished  he  turned  to  me  and  said, 

'*  I  have  been  translating  what  you  have  said  to  the  Presi- 
dent ;  he  does  not  understand  English." 

I  waited  for  the  President  to  say  something ;  but  he  still 
remained  exasperatingly  silent.  So  I  got  off  something 
about  "  American  sympathy  for  courageous  burghers," 
**  plucky  fight,"  "ultimate  success,"  and  goodness  only 
knows  what  else  beside  ;  all  of  which  was  duly  translated 
by  Mr.  Reitz.  Oom  Paul  still  looked  fixedly  at  me,  every 
alternate  breath  being  chronicled  by  a  dense  cloud  of 
Transvaal  tobacco-smoke.  His  expression  was  that  of  great 
depression  mixed  with  worry  ;  yet  there  seemed  to  be  ara 
undercurrent  of  determination  and  unconquerable  persist- 
ence which  was  likely  yet  to  cost  England  enormous  sums 
of  treasure,  life  and  energy  before  that  iron  will  should  be 
overruled.  I  now  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  stare 
back  at  His  Excellency  with  an  expectant  look  on  my  face 
until  he  said  something,  if  it  was  only  *'  Thanks  ;  come 
again."  I  suppose  a  full  minute  passed  by  in  dead  silence  ; 
I  could  see  that  Mr.  Reitz  was  waiting  for  the  President  to 
collect  his  ideas  into  shape,  so  I  kept  quiet  and  waited. 
The  old  man's  eyelids  were  very  red  and  inflamed.  His 
eyes  were  watery  and  glassy. 

Suddenly  he  turned  to  Mr.   Reitz,  and  raising  his  right 

331 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

hand,  bringing  it  down  again  as  though  hammering  his 
sentences  into  the  table,  said  in  a  deep,  hoarse  voice,  his 
words  coming  out  jerkily, — something  in  Dutch  ;  which, 
of  course,  I  could  not  understand.  When  he  finished,  Mr. 
Reitz  turned  to  me  and  said, 

*'  The  President  says  that  he  feels  greatly  encouraged  by 
the  fine  work  which  General  De  Wet  and  President  Steyn 
have  been  doing  in  the  Free  State.  That  while  it  is  very 
likely  that  the  English  are  already  in  Pretoria,  yet  it  will 
by  no  means  follow  that  that  means  the  end  of  the  war." — As 
a  matter  of  fact,  this  interview  was  happening  at  the  very 
hour  of  Lord  Roberts'  entry  into  the  city. — '*  Our  burghers 
are  fully  determined  to  fight  on  to  the  last.  We  will  never 
surrender  as  long  as  there  are  five  hundred  armed  men  re- 
maining in  the  country."  I  then  made  some  other  remark 
about  America  having  had  a  similar  struggle  against  the 
same  power  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  ago,  which, 
when  translated,  started  the  President  into  vehement  speech 
again,  waving  both  hands  violently  and  almost  shouting  his 
words.  Then  Mr.  Reitz  turned  to  me,  and  in  a  low,  well- 
modulated  voice,  repeated  in  English  the  President's  words: 

''  In  a  former  war  England  sent  thirty  thousand  blacks 
against  us  ;  now  she  is  trying  to  crush  us  by  sending  three 
hundred  thousand  white  men  against  thirty  thousand 
burghers."  Then  followed  some  more  conversation,  in 
which  the  President  asserted  that  the  gold  coin  and  bullion 
at  Machadodorp  and  transported  to  Europe  *'was  entirely 
government  money,"  and  that  since  he  had  come  to  Macha- 
dodorp ''Pretoria  is  no  longer  the  capital;  the  capital  is 
now  at  Machadodorp."  There  was  some  remark  about 
the  probability  of  guerrilla  fighting,  and  the  other  gentlemen 
joining  in,  the  conversation  became  general  ;  much  of  which, 
of  course,  was  unintelligible  to  me,  except  when  Mr.  Reitz 
translated. 

332 


THE  CAPITAL  AT  MACHADODORP 

Finally,  feeling  that  it  was  about  time  for  me  to  go,  I 
asked  Mr.  Reitz  to  ask  Mr.  Kriiger  if  he  had  any  message 
he  cared  to  send  to  my  countrymen  through  me.  When 
this  was  translated  to  the  President  he  appeared  to  think 
earnestly  for  a  few  moments  ;  then,  as  though  despairingly 
realizing  that  neither  as  a  result  of  diplomatic  negotiations 
nor  of  newspaper  appeals  to  the  public  could  foreign  inter- 
vention be  expected,  he  replied. 


Foreign  Ambulance  Corps  Wagons  at  Machadodorp. 

'*  The  time  has  passed  for  us  to  talk  ;  there  is  now  nothing 
left  for  us  to  do  but  to  keep  on  fighting, — keep  on  fighting." 
Then  the  President  sank  into  deep  silence,  looking  straight 
before  him  into  space  with  his  lustreless  eyes,  slowly  smok- 
ing,— a  silence  from  which  it  seemed  difficult  to  rouse 
him.  His  last  words  must  have  had  greater  expressiveness 
and  feeling  in  Dutch  than  they  had  when  translated,  for  the 
other  gentlemen  remained  respectfully  silent,  and  it  ap- 
peared to  me  that  in  their  glances  at  the  old  man  there  was 

333 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

expressed  a  world  of  affection  and  feeling.  When  Mr. 
Reitz  arose  to  indicate  the  interview  with  the  President  was 
at  an  end  my  camera  was  still  in  my  hands,  and  I  asked 
him  if  I  might  quickly  take  a  snap  shot  at  the  interior  of 
the  car.  He  said,  '*  No  ;  I  think  it  would  be  better  if  you 
would  not  do  so."  Then  the  entire  party  left  the  car, 
leaving  the  old  President  still  sitting  in  his  chair,  looking 
through  the  window  and  across  the  bare,  open  veldt,  of 
which  he  had  said,  *'  I  found  this  country  a  wilderness,  and 
so  will  I  leave  it  before  I  will  allow  my  people  to  come 
under  the  English  yoke." 


334 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
"at  the  end  of  a  wire"  once  more. 

I  NOW  had  material  for  a  pretty  good  cable  message  to 
England,  and  after  writing  it  out  I  went  to  Secretary 
Reitz  and  asked  him  to  help  me  get  it  off  at  once  over  the 
official  wire  to  Delagoa  Bay,  as  the  local  operator  had  re- 
fused to  send  it  for  me.  Mr.  Reitz  went  to  the  office  with  me, 
but  found  that  the  wires  were  completely  choked  with  highly 
important  official  messages,  and  as  it  was  uncertain  whether 
it  would  be  properly  transmitted  to  the  cable  authorities  at 
Delagoa  Bay  he  advised  me  to  take  it  back  at  once  to  the 
coast  and  send  it  in  person.  About  the  same  time  a  freight 
train  was  starting  eastward,  so  after  dinner  with  Mr.  Reitz 
and  the  military  attaches  I  left  for  Lorenzo  Marquez,  ex- 
pecting to  reach  there  sometime  the  following  morning. 

The  road  was  very  uneven,  and  the  train  ran  swiftly 
down  grade  and  around  many  curves.  I  sat  on  a  box  in 
the  cold  car  talking  with  the  conductor  and  another  pas- 
senger, a  Hebrew  contractor,  who  had  been  at  the  capital  to 
collect  money  due  him  for  supplies.  The  rocking  motion 
of  the  train  was  excessive,  and  produced  a  feeling  of  nausea 
and  sea-sickness  which  made  me  doubly  glad  when  we 
arrived,  after  several  hours'  run,  at  Waterval  Boven,  where 
I  found  the  train  would  wait  until  morning  before  proceed- 
ing farther,  because  of  the  blocking  of  the  line  some  miles 
farther  on  by  the  prisoners'  trains,  which  had  gone  down 
that  morning.  I  hunted  up  a  nondescript  hotel,  kept  by  a 
half-caste  Kaffir  woman,  the  only  accommodation  available  ; 
and  during  a  supper  which  was  served  only  after  considerable 

335 


WITH  ^^BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

persuasive  power  had  been  exerted,  I  enjoyed  some  rather 
interesting  views  of  the  war  from  my  hostess,  who  was  re- 
markably well-read  and  a  splendid  talker.  She  said,  rather 
vigorously, 

''  This  whole  war  has  been  nothing  but  a  war  of  loot 
from  the  very  start.  Why,  when  the  invasion  of  Natal 
began,  the  burghers  looted  every  place  they  came  to. 
Every  man  in  the  Federal  army  had  his  Cape-cart,  drawn 
by  two  horses,  and  one  or  two  nigger  servants  behind  with 


Group  of  Burghers  at  Machadodorp  Preparing  a  Meal. 

two  or  three  extra  riding  horses.  Some  of  the  men  had 
two  or  three  carts,  and  every  one  of  them  was  piled  and 
loaded  down  with  loot." 

Later,  in  the  course  of  conversation,  I  incautiously  said 
that  I  had  been  with  the  English  army.  She  interrupted 
me  with, 

''  I  knew  as  soon  as  you  came  in  you  were  no  war  cor- 
respondent ;  you  are  a  spy,  that's  what  you  are."  I  thanked 
her   sarcastically  for  the  compliment ;  but  she  quickly  re- 


"AT  THE  END  OF  A  WIRE"  ONCE  MORE 

plied,  *'  Oh,  I  don't  think  any  the  less  of  you  for  all  that. 
This  place  is  full  of  spies  ;  one  never  knows  who  one  is 
talking  to.  People  have  been  arrested  and  sent  across  the 
border  on  information  furnished  to  the  authorities  by  mem- 
bers of  their  own  families.  It's  gotten  so  that  one  might  as 
well  talk  to  everybody  as  one  feels  like,  or  else  keep  quiet 
all  the  time." 

I  agreed  with  her  that  the"  latter  alternative  was  too 
awful  to  be  seriously  considered,  and  then  asked  to  be 
shown  to  my  room.      It  was  clean  and  comfortable,  and  I 


Baggage-cart  of  Boer  Commando,  showing  strings  of  "biltong"  or  jerked  beet 
drying  on  lines  hung  over  the  "  disselboom  "   or  cart-tongue. 


was  soon  sound  asleep  between  the  covers.  Suddenly  I 
was  awakened  by  a  noise,  and  sitting  up,  was  half-blinded 
by  a  bright  glare  of  light  from  a  dark  lantern  in  the  hands 
of  a  man  who  was  talking  to  me.  I  was  wide  awake  in  an 
instant,  knowing  that  something  had  gone  wrong.  The 
man  was  talking  in  Dutch.      I  said, 

''  Speak  English  ;  I  don't  understand  you." 
*'  I  must  see  your  passport,"  he  replied  in  broken  Eng- 
lish. 

'*  Why  must  you  see  it  ?"   I   asked.      **  Who   are  you  ? 
What  are  you  doing  in  my  room?     Get  out — "      I  rattled 
^^  33; 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

all  this  off,  half-scared  to  death,  yet  realizing  that  it  would 
be  better  to  put  on  a  bold  front. 

*'  I  am  a  detective,"  he  said,  opening  his  coat  and  show- 
ing a  big  brass  shield  pinned  on  his  vest.  That  stumped 
me  ;  and  I  reached  over  to  the  chair  on  which  my  coat  was 
hanging,  took  out  my  passport,  and  handed  it  to  him.  He 
looked  at  it  for  a  moment  in  the  glare  of  the  dark  lantern, 
and  then,  calmly  folding  it,  put  it  in  his  pocket,  saying, 

"  I  must  keep  this." 

•'Great  Scott!"  I  thought,  ''I'm  'up  against  it'  now. 
Without  that  passport  I  can't  get  out  of  this  town,  and  the 
scoundrel  himself  will  probably  arrest  me  the  first  thing  in 
the  morning  for  not  having  a  passport.  Hold  on  there  !" 
I  called  to  him  as  he  started  to  leave  the  room,  "  Hand 
that  passport  back  to  me  !  What  are  you  taking  it  away 
for?" 

"That's  all  right,"  he  said;  "I  must  keep  it  till  to- 
morrow ;  I'll  give  it  back  when  I  see  you  again." 

"  But,  man,"  I  said,  "  I  must  make  that  early  train  ;  I 
am  going  to  Lorenzo  Marquez  on  important  business  and 
cannot  be  delayed  ;   my  train  leaves  at  six  o'clock." 

"All  right;  all  right;  I'll  be  at  the  station,"  was  all  the 
satisfaction  I  got  from  him,  and  he  was  gone.  Then,  as  I 
thought  over  the  serious  situation  I  was  now  placed  in,  and 
the  extreme  probability  of  my  being  arrested  in  the  morn- 
ing and  denounced  as  a  spy  by  my  landlady,  I  began  to  get 
very  nervous.  Why  had  I  been  so  foolish  as  to  let  the  fel- 
low make  off  with  my  passport  ?  What  an  ass  I  was  ! 
Why  didn't  I  take  it  away  by  force — fight,  if  necessary  ; 
anything  but  lose  that  valuable  piece  of  paper. 

Naturally  I  was  unable  to  find  satisfactory  replies  to 
these  self-questionings,  so  I  passed  the  remainder  of  the 
night  sleeplessly  wondering  what  developments  the  morn- 
ing would  bring  forth.      I  was   roused  from  the  semi-doze 

338 


-AT  THE  END  OF  A  WIRE"  ONCE  MORE 

into  which  I   had  fallen  by  a  servant  with   hot  coffee  and 
the  intelligence  that  it  was  half-past  five  o'clock. 

Hastily  dressing,  I  paid  my  bill  and  went  up  to  the  sta- 
tion. The  first  man  I  met  was  the  detective  of  the  night's 
adventure.  He  came  up  to  me  and  handed  back  my  pass- 
port, and  then  walked  off  again  without  a  word.  I  was 
considerably  puzzled,  and  was  still  standing  looking  at  the 


Boer  Long  Tom.  This  gun  was  split  in  the  muzzle  by  an  English  shell  at 
Ladysmith — an  accidental  shot  which  put  the  gun  out  of  commission  for 
several  weeks,  until  repaired  by  Boer  workmen  in  the  railway  shops  at 
Johannesburg. 

passport  in  my  hands,  hardly  realizing  that  it  was  actually 
there,  and  wondering  if  I  had  been  dreaming,  when  my 
fellow-traveller  of  two  days  before,  the  German  corre- 
spondent, came  up  to  me.  He  was  delighted  to  see  me, 
and  invited  me  to  take  breakfast  with  him,  saying  that  there 
was  plenty  of  time  before  the  train  started,  and  that  he, 
also,  was  going  back  to  Lorenzo  Marquez.  While  grind- 
ing our  particularly  tough  steak  I  told  him  of  the  night's 

339 


.  WITH  -  BOBS  "  AND  KRUGER 

happening,  and    asked    him    to    explain   the    reason  of  it 
to  me. 

**  Oh,  that's  simple  enough,"  he  said;  **that  fellow 
couldn't  read  and  he  didn't  want  you  to  know  it,  so  he 
took  your  passport  off  and  showed  it  to  some  one  who 
could  read  ;  and  then,  finding  that  it  was  all  right,  gave  it 
back  to  you  again  ;  beside,  he  is  a  blank  fool,  any  way." 
I  was  not  entirely  satisfied  with  this  explanation  ;  but  as  it 
was  the  only  one  forthcoming  I  had  to  be  content.  At 
any  rate,  I  was  glad  that  he  found  some  one  who  could 
read,  otherwise  I  might  still  be  waiting  at  Waterval  Boven 
station,  while  my  passport  continued  circulating  throughout 
Transvaal  officialdom.  By  eight  o'clock  I  was  back  at 
Lorenzo  Marquez,  having  successfully  passed  the  gantlet 
of  baggage-searchers  and  letter-readers  on  the  border  at 
Koomaatiport. 

Having  reached  the  world  where  milreis  by  the  thousand 
were  exacted  for  every  breath,  I  started  the  campaign  to- 
ward insolvency  by  taking  a  carriage  to  a  hotel  and  then 
sending  out  a  porter  in  search  of  Begg,  the  Delagoa  Bay 
representative  of  the  **  Express,"  whom  I  had  learned  was 
an  English  spy ;  yet,  from  his  knowledge  of  **  Express  " 
affairs,  it  was  necessary  to  see  him  before  sending  any 
cables.  He  came  in  an  hour,  and  it  was  well  I  had  sent 
for  him,  because  he  showed  me  a  cablegram  from  the 
*' Express "  requesting  ''that  Kriiger  interview  immedi- 
ately." They  thought  I  had  conferred  with  Begg  before 
entering  the  Transvaal,  and  would  send  my  interview  to  him 
to  cable.  He,  not  knowing  anything  about  me,  and  merely 
knowing  that  the  ''Express"  desired  an  interview  with 
Kriiger,  coolly  sat  down  and  wrote  one  himself,  and  was 
about  to  send  it  off  to  London  when  I  sent  for  him.  It 
was  a  close  shave  for  the  "  Express,"  for  they  could  never 
have  known  the  difference  until  too  late. 

340 


AT  THE  END  OF  A  WIRE"  ONCE  MORE 


Begg  then  wanted  me  to  give  him  the  use  of  my  other 
information  for  local  publication,  and  to  forward  to  Cape 
Town  ;  but  I  wasted  no  time  in  informing  him  that 
'*  Express  "  messages  were  for  publication  in  London  only. 
He  also  wanted  me  to  send  my  news  from  Machadodorp, 
to  which  I  intended  returning  at  once,  to  London  through 


The  President's  Butchery  at  Machadodorp.  Fresh  meat  was  provided  every 
day.  No  army  has  ever  fared  more  sumptuously  than  the  armies  of  the 
South  African  RepubHcs,  while  the  British  are  nearly  always  on  half 
rations. 

him  ;  but  I  decided  to  make  other  arrangements,  and  told 
him  so.  He  wanted  to  get  angry  about  it,  and  probably 
did ;  but  I  was  going  back  into  the  lion's  jaws,  and  knew 
that  anything .  published  by  Begg  at  Lorenzo  Marquez 
would  be  sent  at  once  to  Machadodorp,  where  the  Secre- 
tary of  State  would  quickly  recognize  the  similarity  be- 
tween the   published   report    and    the   items   he  gave  me, 

341 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

thereby  putting  me  under  suspicion.  I  had  had  one  expe- 
rience with  being  suspected  of  being  a  spy,  and,  although 
it  ended  harmlessly  enough,  I  had  no  intention  of  repeat- 
ing the  experiment  or  of  having  the  most  remote  relation- 
ship with  a  real  spy  against  the  Transvaal  Republic,  which 
was  treating  me  in  too  hospitable  a  manner  for  me,  by  act 
or  implication,  to  hurt  its  cause  in  any  way. 

Having  settled  Begg  for  the  time  being,  although  later 
he  managed  to  put  me  in  a  terribly  dangerous  position  by 
way  of  revenge,  I  hurried  to  the  cable-office,  where  my 
message  was  put  on  file,  to  go  off  as  soon  as  the  wires 
were  clear.  A  day  later  it  was  published  in  London,  my 
interview  with  President  Kriager  being  the  first  official  inti- 
mation of  the  fact  that  the  surrender  of  Pretoria  would  not 
mean  the  end  of  the  war,  as  had  been  generally  expected 
would  be  the  case.  Then  I  went  back  to  my  hotel,  won- 
dering what  new  scheme  I  could  concoct  to  provide  food 
for  that  long  steel  and  copper  serpent  of  the  sea,  the  Pacific 
Cable,  which  so  greedily  devours  fact  and  falsehood  alike 
at  three  shillings  per  word.  How  and  where  to  get  it  I 
could  not  guess  ;  only  this  I  knew  :  its  daily  meal  of  two 
hundred  words  it  must  have,  if  unhappy  and  distracted  I 
had  to  upheave  a  continent  to  find  the  "copy."  And  if 
any  portion  of  the  newspaper-reading  public  finds  occasion 
to  object  or  in  any  manner  find  fault  with  the  news  sent 
from  one  side  of  the  world  to  the  other,  I  only  suggest  that 
they  get  out  and  try  the  job  themselves. 


342 


CHAPTER  XL. 

STEALING    A    *' SCOOP  "     IN    ORDER    TO    BENEFIT    ITS    OWNER. 

EARLY  the  next  morning  I  called  on  Mr.  Hollis,  the 
United  States  Consul.  He  was  asleep,  but  sitting  on 
the  stoop  was  a  young  American,  who  turned  out  to  be  an 
officer  of  Blake's  Irish-American  brigade.  He  was  visit- 
ing Mr.  Hollis  for  a  few  days  before  going  back  to  Amer- 
ica. After  some  conversation,  it  occurred  to  me  that  per- 
haps he  would  like  to  act  as  my  assistant,  return  to  Macha- 
dodorp  with  me,  and  then  every  day  run  back  to  Lorenzo 
Marquez  to  send  my  cables  to  London.  Lieutenant  Ryan, 
as  was  his  name,  seemed  pleased  with  the  idea,  and  I  made 
him  an  offer  which  he  accepted  at  once.  Then  he  told  me 
that  the  New  York  ''Journal  "  had  cabled  to  Mr.  Hollis  to 
have  some  one  interview  President  Kruger  and  cable  it  to 
New  York.  This  had  been  done,  and  the  interview  was 
already  in  the  hands  of  the  man  who  was  to  send  it  off. 
The  interview  used  was  one  gotten  through  a  visitor  to 
Machadodorp  the  same  day  I  was  there,  but  who  left  in  an 
earlier  train.  Giving  Lieutenant  Ryan  several  Bank  of 
England  notes,  I  sent  him  off  to  buy  the  interview,  telling 
him  to  tell  the  party  that  ''the  New  York  'Journal'  war 
correspondent  had  reached  here  and  would  send  the  mes- 
sage himself."  Ryan  paid  the  fellow  about  four  pounds 
and  got  the  message  from  him.  I  took  it  at  once  to  the 
cable-office,  sent  it  after  the  first  interview,  and  added, 
"Forward  New  York  'Journal;'  co-operation  highly  de- 
sirable." I  will  not  expatiate  on  this  operation  from  the 
ethical    standpoint,    for    through    my    sharp    practice    the 

343 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


"Journal  "  got  its  interview  a  day  earlier  than  otherwise  it 
would  have  done,  for  the  other  man  was  procrastinating 
sadly.  Also,  the  ''  Express  "  had  the  use  of  the  extra  in- 
terview in  London,  where  it  appeared  as  part  of  the  first 
one.  Further,  and  strangely  enough,  a  cable  despatch  was 
already  on  its  way  from  London  to  me,  saying,  "Join 
Kriiger  as  representative  of  New  York  'Journal.'  "  This 
was  from  the  "  Express,"  which  had  already  made  the  deal 


"■jH'M^tMl 


^^ 


r%i3' 


tuilt^:! 


The  Travelling  Capital's  Treasury  Car,  showing  the  Staadt's  Treasurer  paying 
claims  in  paper  money  worth  five  shillings  on  the  pound. 

with  the  representative  of  the  "Journal"  to  give  it  the 
American  use  of  my  work  in  the  Transvaal.  I  received 
this  despatch  that  evening,  and,  showing  it  to  Mr.  HoUis, 
told  him  that  I  was  now  the  correspondent  of  the  New  York 
"Journal,"  and  that  I  would  be  glad  to  have  him  give  me 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Reitz  to  that  effect. 

The  next  morning  Ryan  and  I  started  back  for  Macha- 
dodorp,  where  I  presented  my  letter,  and,  as  a  result,  Lieu- 

344 


STEALING  A  "SCOOP" 

tenant  Ryan  was  furnished  with  passports  and  railway 
passes  ;  also  a  special  passport  allowing  him  to  cross  the 
border  without  examination  of  his  baggage  or  letters.  I 
received  a  similar  one  some  time  later.  Lieutenant  Ryan, 
for  the  time  being,  had  become  an  employe  of  the  Trans- 
vaal Government,  I  paying  his  salary.  His  work  was  to 
carry  my  letters  and  despatches  to  Delagoa  Bay,  incidentally 
taking  messages  for  the  government  to  the  Dutch  Consul 
at  that  point.  From  this  time  until  I  left  the  Transvaal 
Lieutenant  Ryan  carried  most  of  my  despatches,  although 
later  on  I  found  a  way  to  have  them  sent  direct  from  the 
capital  at  Machadodorp  by  wire.  At  times,  when  I  made 
short  excursions  away  from  that  place,  Ryan  staid  behind 
and  sent  messages  for  me.  In  this  way  I  "broke  him  in," 
so  that  when  I  left  for  London  he  was  fully  qualified  to 
take  my  place  ;  and  he  remained,  acting  as  correspondent 
for  the  *'  Express,"  for  some  months,  until  the  Boers  were 
compelled  to  abandon  the  railway. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  an  officer  in  the  army  of  the 
South  African  Republic  came  to  serve  as  a  war  corre- 
spondent for  an  English  newspaper.  As  for  Begg,  I  took 
good  care  not  to  see  anything  more  of  him.  I  learned  from 
Mr.  Hollis  that  Mr.  Sangree,  an  American  correspondent 
who  had  been  in  the  Transvaal,  while  stopping  at  a  hotel  in 
Lorenzo  Marquez,  had  had  all  his  private  papers  and  notes 
stolen.  From  another  source  I  learned  that  the  man  Begg 
was  suspected  of  being  implicated  in  the  affair.  I  hope  he 
did  get  the  papers,  and  that  he  turned  them  over  to  the 
British  authorities  to  read,  for  among  them  was  a  humorous 
story  about  the  English  prisoners'  quarters  at  Pretoria, 
entitled,  "  Uncle  Paul's  Asylum  for  Absent-Minded  Beg- 
gars," which  article  would  doubtless  prove  edifying  reading 
for  those  in  charge  of  the  British  War  Office. 

While  on  the  way  to  Delagoa  Bay,  after  having  secured 

345 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

my  interview  with  President  Kriiger,  I  met  Consul  Hollis 
at  Waterval  Oonder  station,  where  my  train  passed  the  up- 
train.  He  told  me  he  was  on  his  way  to  see  the  President, 
who  had  sent  for  him,  and  invited  me  to  go  along  back  to 
Machadodorp,  assuring  me  that  I  would  arrive  at  Delagoa 
Bay  just  as  soon,  as  he  had  been  promised  a  special  train 
for  the  return  trip.  I  was  not  surprised  to  hear  this,  for  I 
had  had  some  intimation  of  his  coming  while  yet  at  Mach- 


I'he  Hotel  de  Machadodorp,  where  the  officials  and  attaches  took  their  meals. 
Colonel  Gourko,  the  Russian  attache,  is  to  the  right  of  the  photograph. 


adodorp,  and  was  on  the  lookout  for  him.  I  declined  the 
offer  to  go  back,  and  continued  my  journey  to  Delagoa 
Bay  in  company  with  Mr.  Van  Alphen,  Postmaster  General 
of  the  Transvaal  Republic.  I  thus  got  my  cablegram  off 
a  day  earlier.  From  Postmaster  General  Van  Alphen  I 
learned  that  while  Mr.  Hollis  was  at  Koomaatiport,  at  the 
boundary  between  the  Transvaal  and  Portuguese  Territory, 
having  gone  there  on  affairs  relating  to  American  interests, 

346 


STEALING  A  ''SCOOP" 

President  Kriiger  telegraphed  to  Van  Alphen  to  approach 
Mr.  Hollis  on  the  subject  of  his  taking  refuge  in  the 
American  Consulate,  as  he  did  not  feel  safe  in  trusting 
to  the  neutrality  of  the  Portuguese,  in  the  event  of  having 
to  fly  from  the  Transvaal.  While  Mr.  Van  Alphen  and 
Mr.  Hollis  were  in  conversation,  an  additional  telegram 
from  Mr.  Kriiger  arrived,  asking  Mr.  Hollis  to  come  on  to 
Machadodorp ;  and  in  this  way  I  happened  to  meet  Mr. 
Hollis  at  Waterval  Oonder,  en  route  to  see  the  President. 

Mr.  Kriiger  then  asked  Mr.  Hollis  if  he  would  give  him 
protection  in  the  American  Consulate  in  case  he  had  to  flee 
from  the  Transvaal.  Mr.  Hollis  asked  for  time  to  commu- 
nicate with  his  government,  and  Mr.  Kriiger  assured  him 
that  he  would  give  at  least  one  week's  notice  before  leav- 
ing the  Transvaal.  About  this  same  time  one  evening  Mr. 
Hollis  was  entertaining  some  of  Secretary  Reitz's  family 
who  were  about  to  leave  for  Holland.  They  were  sitting 
on  the  piazza  when  a  crowd  of  Portuguese  ruffians  and 
British  sympathizers  approached  and  commenced  stoning 
the  Consulate,  and  giving  groans  and  hisses  for  the  Ameri- 
can flag.  Lieutenant  Ryan,  the  assistant  "■  Express  " 
correspondent,  who  happened  to  be  there  also,  quietly 
stepped  out  before  them,  and  drawing  his  revolver  fired 
it  point-blank  at  the  crowd,  which  immediately  dis- 
banded and  took  to  its  heels.  The  police  were  called 
out  and  took  care  of  the  men  injured  by  Ryan's  prompt 
action,  and  the  affair  was  hushed  up.  Several  nights 
later,  when  I  called  at  the  Consulate,  before  Mr.  Hollis 
had  returned  from  Machadodorp,  I  found  three  police- 
men on  guard  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  the  trouble. 
The  State  Department  at  Washington  undoubtedly  received 
a  notification  from  Mr.  Hollis  of  Mr.  Kriiger's  request,  and 
the  Consul  was  doubtless  notified  what  course  to  pursue, 
and  in  all  likelihood  President  Kriiger  was  made  aware  of 

347 


WITH  -  BOBS "  AND  KRUGER 

the  fact  that  his  presence  as  a  self-invited  guest  in  the 
American  Consulate  was  not  desired  by  the  administration 
at  Washington. 

At  least  I  know  that  Mr.  Hollis  received  instructions 
from  Mr.  Hay  not  to  leave  Portuguese  territory  again  ;  for 
he  was  compelled  to  neglect  the  interests  of  the  English 
prisoners  at  Nooitgedacht,  where  there  was  much  suffering 
and  complaint  because  of  his  neglect.      The  prisoners  won- 


The  burghers  form  a  ring  about  a  group  of  Enijlish  prisoners  captured  by  Gen- 
eral De  Wet  and  sent  to  the  capital  at  Machadodorp. 

dered  why  Consul  Hay  did  not  visit  them  ;  they  thought 
he  had  accompanied  the  government  to  Machadodorp,  and 
were  unaware  that  he  had  remained  at  Pretoria.  On  my 
return  to  London  I  was  sorry  to  hear  that  Mr.  Hollis  had 
laid  himself  open  to  adverse  criticism  by  going  into  the 
Transvaal,  and  in  order  to  put  him  in  a  better  light  I  pub- 
lished the  above  facts  in  an  interview  in  the  ''  Express  "  on 
June    I  5th.      I  think  it  only  fair  to   him   that  it  should   be 

348 


STEALING  A  "SCOOP" 

known  as  publicly  as  possible  that  Mr.  Hollis  left  Portu- 
guese territory  only  to  enter  the  Transvaal  at  the  express 
request  of  President  Kriiger. 

The  information  on  which  I  base  this  statement  was 
derived  from  various  sources  in  which  I  had  explicit  confi- 
dence ;  but  I  also  took  the  precaution  of  sounding  Mr. 
Hollis  on  the  subject,  and  from  his  guarded  replies  and  in- 
ability to  deny  the  truth  of  what  I  have  said,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  President  Kruger  asked  for  the  protection  of  the 
United  States  Government,  and  was  diplomatically  dis- 
couraged from  entertaining  the  idea  seriously. 


349 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

LIFE    AT    MACHADODORP. 

BACK  again  at  Machadodorp,  prepared  for  a  long  stay, 
having  cabled  to  the  ''  Express  "  that  I  would  remain 
and  ''watch  Kriiger,"  hoping  that  he  would  bolt  suddenly 
and  take  refuge  on  a  Dutch  warship,  and  that  I  might 
manage  to  accompany  him — meanwhile  I  found  time  to 
look  around  more  freely  and  see  something  of  the  Boers  in 
camp  and  the  little  town  itself  It  was  not  much  of  a  place. 
There  were  a  dozen  or  more  houses  along  the  railroad ; 
then,  around  a  great  open  space,  an  embryo  market  square, 
were  the  sheet-iron  buildings  of  two  stores,  the  hotel,  the 
post-office,  and  a  few  warehouses  and  station  buildings. 
This  was  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  with  the  railway  on  the 
summit  and  the  hotel  half-way  down.  At  the  bottom  ran 
a  small  stream  where  the  Boers  gathered  daily  in  small 
groups  to  bathe.  In  the  centre  of  the  square  usually  stood 
one  or  two  huge  trek-carts  loaded  with  oranges  brought 
in  from  some  distant  farm  and  sold  to  the  burghers  for  a 
shilling  per  dozen — great,  luscious  fruit,  quite  reconciling 
one  to  the  almost  unquenchable  thirst  which  the  cold  dry 
air  induced.  The  government  was  installed  in  a  series  of 
railway  carriages  side-tracked  on  three  or  four  sidings. 
President  Kriiger  had  a  private  car  ;  so  had  Secretary  Reitz. 
The  military  attaches  had  another,  and  in  this  Mr.  Reitz 
furnished  me  with  a  compartment.  Two  of  the  attaches 
were  domiciled  in  a  private  house  ;  the  other  government 
officials  had  rooms  at  the  hotel. 

With  the  exception  of  the  President,  all  took  their  meals 

350 


LIFE  AT  MACHADODQRP 


at  the  hotel,  the  proprietor  of  which  was  doing  an  amazing 
business. 

Unfortunately  for  his  profits,  most  of  the  officers  were 
fed  at  government  expense,  and  he  was  paid  in  weekly 
installments  of  paper  money.  This  had  fallen  in  value  to 
about  five  shillings  to  the  pound.  This  hotel  usually  flew 
the  Transvaal  flag,  but,  with  every  alarm,  the  German 
fla.g   was   run   up  instead,,  although  its  proprietor  was  an 


The  persistent  staring  of"  the  Bloody  Boahs  "  becomes  uncomfortable. 

Englisman.  There  was  a  billiard-table  in  a  back  room,  and 
it  was  no  unusual  thing  of  an  evening  to  see  a  crowd  of 
burghers,  their  rifles  stacked  in  a  corner,  handling  the  cue 
with  surprising  skill,  for,  from  their  appearance,  the  assem- 
blage might  have  been  taken  for  a  congress  of  hoboes.  The 
average  burgher,  I  found,  was  a  sportsman  in  every  sense 
of  the  word.  With  more  or  less  roughness  in  appearance, 
yet  there  was  always  a  gentleness  of  manner,  a  hesitancy  to 
offend  by  word  or  act.      Living   on  their  large  estates,  the 

351 


WITH   "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

natives  doing  all  the  harder  work,  they  have  developed  into 
a  race  of  primitive  country  gentlemen. 

On  the  tracks  between  the  President's  and  the  Secretary's 
private  cars  stood  a  long  line  of  trucks,  carefully  guarded 
by  a  detachment  of  Johannesburg  police.  No  one  was 
allowed  to  smoke  near  these  trucks  ;  they  were  loaded  with 
ammunition,  and  contained  enough  to  continue  the  war  for 
another  year  at  least.  Adjoining  the  President's  car  was 
the  official  telegraph-station.  Next  to  Mr.  Reitz's  was  the 
printing-car,  from  which  daily  bulletins  were  issued  con- 
taining news  of  the  previous  twenty-four  hours.  They  were 
surprisingly  accurate,  and  never  as  much  distorted  as  P^ng- 
lish  news  when  published  in  London,  for  the  government 
had  learned  that  in  order  to  retain  the  confidence  of  the 
burghers  they  must  be  kept  supplied  with  the  facts.  There 
were  many  burghers  who  wished  the  war  over  and  were 
willing  to  surrender,  but  the  majority  were  filled  with  a  de- 
gree of  patriotism  which  to  me  seemed  almost  fanatical,  and 
of  a  type  belonging  not  to  real  life,  but  to  the  grandiloquent 
history-books  of  my  school-boy  days. 

Up  on  the  high  bank  above  the  Presidential  car  stood  a 
row  of  whitewashed  huts,  provided  by  the  railway  authori- 
ties for  the  use  of  its  native  employes,  who  were  utilized 
as  switchmen,  track-cleaners,  and  in  other  subordinate  po- 
sitions. They  usually  dressed  in  half-civilized,  half-bar- 
barous clothes.  It  was  no  unusual  thing  to  see  a  track- 
man walking  along,  an  old  silk  hat  or  Derby  on  his  head, 
a  vest  over  his  body,  a  discarded  red  window-curtain  around 
his  waist,  his  legs  and  arms  bare,  a  railway  lamp  in  one 
hand  and  a  bundle  of  assegais  or  knobkerris — primitive 
South  African  weapons,  both — in  the  other.  It  is  quite  im- 
possible to  disarm  the  native  ''  Boy  ;"  he  always  has  half  a 
dozen  weapons  of  some  nature  within  easy  reach  ;  and  if 
these   chance    to    be   lost   or   sold,  a  bit  of  pointed  iron, 

35^ 


LIFE  AT  MACHADODORP 

ground  on  a  stone  and  stuck  on  the  end  of  a  slender  rod 
cut  from  a  plank,  re-arms  him  again.  This  custom  of  the 
natives  creates  a  serious  problem  for  the  English  if  they 
conquer  the  two  republics  entirely.  If  they  disarm  the 
burghers,  then,  to  protect  them  from  the  native  population, 
which  may  go  on  the  war-path  at  any  time,  a  large  army 
of  occupation  will  be  needed.      If  the  burghers  are  allowed 


Inside  the  ring,  ofificers  of  the  Thirteenth  Yeomanry  reading  fresh  magazines 
supphed  by  their  captors. 


to  retain  their  arms  as  a  protection  against  the  enormous 
native  population,  sporadic  outbreaks  of  rebellion  are  bound 
to  occur  for  many  years  to  come,  which  at  any  moment 
may  spread  into  a  gigantic  flame  of  revolt  from  one  end  of 
the  country  to  another.  I  do  not  want  to  pose  as  an 
alarmist ;  but,  in  all  seriousness,  I  cannot  fail  to  realize  that 
Afrikanderism  is  a  spirit  which  will  persist  in  South  Africa 
until  its  aim  is  accomplished. 

^3  353 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Captain  Reichman,  of  the  United  States  army,  introduced 
me  to  his  colleagues,  among  them  the  Hollander  officer 
who  had  spent  part  of  my  first  night  at  Machadodorp  in 
my  room,  and  together  we  made  a  very  jolly  circle.  Next 
to  being  a  correspondent  during  a  war,  I  would  like  to  be 
a  military  attache.  The  French  and  German  members 
were  at  the  front  with  General  Botha.  We  were  an  essen- 
tially cosmopolitan  circle.      First,  Captain  Reichman,  who 


Some  of  the  officers  are  allowed  to  take  a  walk  to  the  store  to  buy  cigars  and 
oranges  under  an  escort  of  one  burgher  with  his  Mauser. 

indignantly  denied  the  absurd  report  of  a  Renter  corre- 
spondent that  he  had  been  in  command  of  the  Boers  during 
the  British  disaster  at  Koornspruit.  As  each  mail  brought 
him  additional  clippings  and  letters  of  inquiry  from  friends, 
he  grew  daily  more  wrathful  and  desirous  of  laying  violent 
hands  upon  that  enterprising  but  untruthful  individual.  Cap- 
^;ain  Ram  and  Lieutenant  Thompson,  Hollander  officers, 
represented  the  young  Queen  Wilhelmina,  and  gallantly 
declared  her  to  be  the  most  beautiful  woman  in   Europe, 

3  54 


LIFE  AT  MACHADODORP 

which  assertion  I  deeply  regret  my  personal  observations 
do  not  enable  me  to  corroborate  or  refute.  Colonel  Gourko 
of  St.  Petersburg,  son  of  General  Gourko,  recently  de- 
ceased, had  left  the  command  of  one  of  the  Czar's  regi- 
ments to  watch  the  wily  Boers'  methods,  and  never  seemed 
to  realize  that  the  rest  of  us  all  wished  he  would  mention 
us  in  his  will  and  then  try  to  catch  a  lyddite  shell  in  his 
hands  ;  for  the  Colonel  was  a  Count,  and  rumor  credited 
him  with  the  possession  of  a  modest  fifty  million  dollars. 

In  the  evenings,  after  that  terrible  cable  message  had  been 
gotten  off  my  brain  and  on  its  way  Londonward,  we  would 
gather  together  in  the  attaches'  car  by  the  light  of  a  candle 
to  discuss  the  war,  the  Boers,  the  English,  life  in  general, 
or  ourselves  in  particular.  On  one  occasion  I  brought  out 
my  maps  of  the  battle  of  Poplar  Grove,  having  learned  that 
Colonel  Gourko  and  Lieutenant  Thompson  had  been  cap- 
tured by  the  British  there,  while  the  other  officers  had 
escaped.  Naturally  my  map  excited  great  interest,  and 
together  we  went  over  the  day's  fight,  all  learning  many 
new  things,  which  concluded  with  the  astounding  revelation 
to  me  that  only  twenty-five  hundred  Boers  had  confronted 
Lord  Roberts'  army  of  forty  thousand. 

Among  other  surprising  things  I  heard  from  the  attaches 
was  one  relating  to  the  war  in  Natal.  I  cannot  help  feeling 
that  whether  winning  or  losing,  this  war  will  be  a  terrible 
blow  to  England's  prestige,  not  because  of  the  published 
reports,  but  because  of  the  private  reports  made  to  their 
respective  countries  by  the  military  attaches  on  both  sides. 
The  damaging  shock  to  British  prestige  from  this  source 
may  be  estimated  when  one  realizes  that  the  attaches  will 
report  to  their  governments,  as  they  told  me  at  Machado- 
dorp,  for  instance,  that  for  five  months  during  the  invest- 
ment of  Ladysmith,  thirteen  thousand  British  soldiers  in 
the    besieged  town  were    kept  separated    from    seventeen 

355 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

thousand  under  General  BuUer  by  less  than  four  thousand 
burghers — much  of  the  time  by  only  twenty-five  hundred. 
Often  we  were  joined  for  awhile  by  the  old  Secretary  of 
State,  Mr.  Reitz,  who  would  tell  as  good  a  story  as  any, 
although  I  never  heard  a  profane  word  or  an  unclean  expres- 
sion pass  his  hps.  Frequently,  when  the  attaches  were  not 
at  home,  or  upon  leaving  them,  I  would  step  into  Mr. 
Reitz's    car.      He    always   made    me    most    welcome,   and 


First-class  railway  accommodations  in  cattle  car.-^    '•  lor  absent-minded 
only."      British  officers  entraining  for  their  new  prison  at  Nooitgedacht. 


would  talk  over  the  affairs   and  policy  of  his  government 
with  great  freedom. 

I  often  copied  his  telegrams  from  the  front,  and  had  them 
on  the  way  to  London,  where  they  were  printed,  before  they 
had  been  issued  to  the  burghers.  Mr.  Reitz  during  his 
youth,  while  an  impecunious  attorney  at  Cape  Town,  had 
had  some  experience  as  a  newspaper  man,  writing  leaders 
for  a  local  paper.     He  was  greatly  interested  in  my  work, 

356 


LIFE  AT  MACHADODORP 

and  on  several  occasions,  *' to  try  his  hand,"  as  he  said, 
wrote  out  my  full  cables  for  me.  Once  he  laughingly  said 
to  me, 

"  If  I  lose  this  job  I  might  want  to  apply  for  a  position 
as  a  war  correspondent  myself,  and  this  practice  will  be 
valuable." 

On  first  meeting  him  I  had  been  particular  to  impress 
upon  him  that  while  I  would  talk  as  freely  as  possible 
about  my  experience  with  the  British,  yet  I  could  not  forget 
that  I  had  received  many  courtesies  as  the  guest  of  the 
British  army,  and  therefore  would  have  to  refrain  from 
making  any  statements  which  might  be  valuable  as  *'  infor- 
mation." This  was  repeated  by  him  to  Mr.  Kriiger  when 
I  was  interviewing  that  gentleman,  and  neither  then,  nor  at 
any  time  during  the  four  weeks  I  was  in  the  Transvaal,  were 
any  questions  ever  asked  me  the  answering  of  which 
would  have  been  incompatible  with  the  playing  of  my  part 
as  a  man  of  honor. 


357 


CHAPTER   XLII. 

BEGG,    THE    SPY,    GETS    BACK    AT    ME. 

ONE  afternoon  about  five  o'clock,  while  I  was  making 
my  regular  daily  professional  call  before  sending 
off  my  cable  messages,  a  messenger  brought  in  a  telegram 
for  me. 

I  tore  open  the  envelope  and  read  a  message  from  the 
man  Begg  at  Lorenzo  Marquez.  It  ran,  *'  *  Express,'  Lon- 
don, cables  all  messages  from  you  to  be  sent  through 
me."      (Signed)  '*  Begg." 

On  the  table  between  the  Secretary  and  myself  lay  two 
of  Begg's  daily  news  sheets,  duplicated  on  a  mimeograph  at 
Lorenzo  Marquez  and  subscribed  for  by  all  the  hotels, 
clubs,  and  leading  business  houses.  These  copies  were 
sent  daily  by  Transvaal  agents  to  Machadodorp.  I  knew 
by  this  that  Begg  was  well  known  to  the  Secretary,  and 
also  the  fact  that  he  was  an  English  spy.  If  the  Secretary 
had  read  this  telegram  before  he  had  allowed  it  to  be  de- 
livered to  me,  as  was  very  probable,  I  was  in  great  danger 
of  coming  under  his  suspicion,  and  something  unpleasant 
might  follow  promptly.  Looking  up,  I  saw  his  eyes  con- 
centrated upon  me  with  a  piercing  glance.  There  was  not 
much  time  for  thought ;  I  tossed  the  telegram  over  to  him 
to  read,  saying  to  him,  at  the  same  time,  "  The  London 
representative  of  my  paper  wants  me  to  co-operate  with  this 
fellow  Begg.  He  evidently  doesn't  know  much  about 
Begg.  Under  the  circumstances  I  cannot  obey  my  instruc- 
tions. The  information  you  give  me  is  not  for  Begg,  but 
for  my  paper  and  the  papers  it  sells  the  news  to."     Then 

358 


BEGG,  THE  SPY 


I  wrote  out  on  a  telegraph  form,  ''  '  Express,'  London  : 
Co-operation  with  Begg  impossible.  Political  reasons." 
(Signed)  *'  Unger." 

This  I  handed  to  the  Secretary,  who  read  it  over,  censored 
it  with  his  pencil,  gave  it  to  the  messeng'er,  who  took  it  off 
to  the  telegraph  office,  and  the  incident  closed.  The  sus- 
picion, if  there  was  any,  had  entirely  passed  out  of  the  old 
gentleman's  eyes,  and  he  never  referred  to  the  subject  in 


Tommy  brings  on  the  kit. 

any  way.  Yet  I  am  satisfied  that  Begg,  whom  I  had  espe- 
cially enjoined  not  to  attempt  to  communicate  with  me  in 
any  way,  had  for  a  few  minutes  placed  my  liberty,  and  pos- 
sibly my  life,  in  extreme  danger. 

Incidentally,  this  impossibility  of  our  co-operating  led  to 
his  duplicating  the  main  features  of  my  messages  every  day, 
about  three  days  after  I  sent  them,  when  they  filtered 
across  the  border  to  Lorenzo  Marquez,  thus  doubling  the 
cable   expenses   to   my  paper.      I   explained    this    to    Mr. 

359 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Reitz,  and  said,  "This  may  cost  me  my  position,  but  I  can't 
help  it." 

When  I  arrived  at  London  and  explained  the  situation 
to  the  **  Express  "  I  was  thanked  for  my  promptness  of 
action  and  told  that  Begg  had  been  selling  all  his  news  to 
several  rival  papers,  and  had  only  just  been  found  out. 
The  result  was  that  all  my  cables  were  exclusive  news,  and 
I  succeeded  in  preventing  any  leaks  along  the  line  of  com- 
munication. The  mere  fact  that  from  Machadodorp,  the 
capital  of  the  Transvaal,  I  was  able  to  cable  direct  to  Lon- 
don, the  capital  of  England,  while  the  two  countries  were  at 
war  with  each  other,  was  in  itself  as  unique  a  feat  of  jour- 
nalism as  I  ever  hope  to  repeat. 

At  this  time  daily  reports  were  coming  in  of  Boer  suc- 
cesses. That  De  Wet  and  Steyn  had  cut  Lord  Roberts' 
line  of  communication  south  of  Johannesburg  had  been 
confirmed.  De  Wet  had  captured,  and,  excepting  what  he 
could  carry  away,  had  destroyed  half  a  million  pounds' 
worth  of  supplies,  including  thirty  thousand  full  suits  of 
clothing  and  a  great  quantity  of  ammunition.  I  afterward 
learned  that  Lord  Roberts  had  been  completely  isolated  for 
a  period  of  ten  days.  At  the  same  time  it  was  reported  that 
the  bubonic  plague  had  broken  out  among  General  Buller's 
forces  ;  the  Boers,  believing  this,  saw  plainly  the  hand  of 
God  at  last  lifted  to  strike  their  wicked  enemies.  With  the 
advent  of  cold  weather  and  the  isolation  of  Lord  Roberts  it 
was  generally  predicted  that  he  would  be  starved  out  and 
be  compelled  to  retreat  to  save  his  army.  In  the  minds 
of  the  burghers  Pretoria  was  to  become  a  second  Moscow, 
and  Roberts  was  to  suffer  the  fate  of  Napoleon,  who  saved 
only  five  thousand  men  out  of  half  a  million.  Indeed,  with 
De  Wet  in  the  rear,  there  were  some  who  even  looked  for- 
ward to  the  destitution  among  the  English  forces  becoming 
so  great  that  out  of  humanity  for  his   men  Lord   Roberts 

360 


BEGG,  THE  SPY 

would  be  compelled  to  surrender  his  entire  army  to  Gen- 
eral Botha  to  save  his  men  from  starvation. 

We  understood  that  the  Imperial  army  in  the  Transvaal 
numbered  eighty  thousand.  Secretary  Reitz  stated  that 
the  Boers  still  in  commando  ranged  from  fifteen  to  eighteen 
thousand.  From  all  I  could  learn,  there  were  at  no  time 
more  than  thirty  thousand  burghers  under  arms.  Their 
losses  by  sickness  and  injury  were  trifling.  Probably  at  all 
times  one-fourth  of  the  fighting  force  were  on  leave  of  ab- 


The  prison-pen  at  Nooitgedacht,  a  barb-wire  enclosure  on  the  open  veldt.    One 
thousand  prisoners  guarded  by  fifty  Boers.      Waiting  for  dinner. 


sence,  visiting  their  farms — living  at  home  for  a  few  weeks 
until  the  monotony  of  the  farm,  after  the  activity  of  the  com- 
mando, together  with  the  urging  of  the  women,  who  were 
never  satisfied  when  their  brothers  or  husbands  were  not 
fighting,  induced  them  to  return  to  the  front,  usually  with 
fresh  horses,  and  with  clothing  in  improved  condition .  The 
stories  of  Boer  women  fighting  in  the  trenches  were  usually 
false.  They  did  visit  their  men  in  their  laagers,  but  were 
invariably  sent  away  when  there  was  any  danger. 

361 


WITH   ''BOBS"  AND   KRUGER 

At  Machadodorp  I  found  the  Irish  brigade,  which  had 
become  thoroughly  scattered  on  the  capture  of  Pretoria, 
slowly  reorganizing.  Colonel  Blake  had  disappeared.  One 
day  I  went  as  far  as  Middleburg  to  hunt  for  him,  but  failed 
to  find  a  trace  of  him.  The  "brigade"  now  numbered  about 
fifty  men,  and  included  a  number  of  the  boys  who  had  come 
out  from  Chicago  as  "  Red  Cross  "  men.  In  justice  to  them 
it  must  be  said  that  they  did  not  enter  the  Transvaal  as  Red 
Cross  men,  their  applications  as  such  being  denied  by  the 
Portuguese  authorities.  Their  ultimate  entry  was  as  Amer- 
ican citizens,  on  papers  issued  by  Consul  Hollis,  and  each 
one  had  taken  an  oath  that  he  would  not  fight.  On  their 
arrival  at  Pretoria  they  found  that  there  was  no  Red  Cross 
work  for  them  to  do  nor  money  to  support  them,  and  that 
work  was  impossible  to  obtain.  The  Russian  Red  Cross 
contingent  were  never  put  into  commission  at  all — a  proof 
of  the  lack  of  need  for  such  service.  The  Chicago  men 
thus  found  themselves  destitute.  About  seven  of  them, 
having  trained  medical  qualifications,  were  employed  in 
other  ambulance  corps  ;  the  rest  of  them  accepted  Colonel 
Blake's  offer  and  joined  his  brigade.  They  received  no 
pay  ;  all  they  got  was  food  and  clothing.  They  proved  ex- 
cellent fighters,  and  I  have  government  authority  for  the 
statement  that  during  the  long  retreat  from  Bloemfontein  to 
Pretoria  they  were  always  the  last  to  leave  the  field,  and 
fought  the  rear-guard  action  for  the  entire  distance.  They 
were  nearly  captured  at  Brandfort,  having  gotten  behind 
the  PLnglish  lines  and  within  half  a  mile  of  where  I  was 
riding  alone,  though  I  did  not  know  it  at  the  time.  On  a 
number  of  occasions  they  were  reported  annihilated,  but,  as 
a  matter  of  fact.  Colonel  Blake  told  me  he  did  not  lose 
a  single  man,  though  several,  including  himself,  were 
wounded.  The  use  of  Blake's  right  arm  was  destroyed 
during    the    fighting   in   Natal.      In   speaking  of  the  Irish 

362 


BEGG,  THE  SPY 


brigade,  many  burghers  repeated  to  me,  sadly,  ''  If  the  rest 
of  our  army  had  only  fought  as  bravely  as  the  Irish  brigade 
and  Colonel  Blake,  we  would  not  now  be  fugitives  from  our 
cities  and  farms." 

I  was  surprised  to  learn  from  the  attaches  two  things  : 
first,  that  there  were  less  than  a  thousand  foreigners  serv- 
ing in  the  Boer  army  ;  and  secondly,  that  the  earlier  suc- 
cesses were  not  due  to  advice  in  strategy  from  foreign  offi- 
cers.      On    the     contrary,    the     Boers     were    exceedingly 


Several  members  of  the  Irish  Brigade  making  a  stew. 

stubborn  about  having  their  own  way  in  their  fighting,  and 
indignantly  resented  any  proffered  advice  from  the  few  for- 
eign officers  who  were  with  them.  There  were  not  many 
of  these  officers,  and  they  all  had  subordinate  positions, 
General  Villebois,  in  command  of  the  French  brigade, 
being  the  only  one  having  rank  of  that  grade.  Early  in 
the  year,  when  I  was  making  my  first  trip  across  the  Kar- 
roo on  the  Cape  railway  train,  in  company  with  a  party  of 
English  officers,  we  were   discussing  the  marvellous  sue- 

363 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

cesses  of  the  Boers  up  to  that  time.  ''  But,"  said  one  of 
these  officers,  in  extenuation  of  EngHsh  failure,  ''we  must 
not  forget  that  in  the  persons  of  the  foreign  advisers  be- 
hind these  Boers  we  are  practically  fighting  all  Europe. 
They  have  the  advantage  of  the  best  skill  and  information 
at  the  command  of  France,  Germany  and  Russia."  This 
opinion  I  heard  expressed  frequently,  and  later  on  I  found 
that  not  to  the  slightest  degree  was  it  correct.  This  was 
a  great  surprise  to  me. 

To  the  circle  of  attaches  I  brought  my  tale  of  woe. 
Neither  money  nor  influence  had  been  sufficient  to  procure 
me  a  horse.  My  ignominious  retreat  from  Pretoria  by 
train  had  been  the  result  of  my  failure  to  get  a  mount. 

They  sympathized  deeply  with  me,  for  they  were  about 
to  rejoin  General  Botha  at  the  front.  The  morning  follow- 
ing our  discussion  of  the  battle  of  Poplar  Grove,  Captain 
Ram,  discovering  that  he  had  an  extra  pony,  offered  me 
the  use  of  the  same  ;  and  at  his  suggestion  I  accepted  the 
general  invitation  to  join  the  staff  mess  of  the  military  at- 
taches at  the  front.  This  was  a  result  of  my  being  the 
only  war  correspondent  left  with  the  Boers  and  of  having 
spent  six  months  with  the  enemy,  for,  naturally,  these  gen- 
tlemanly experts  in  war  were  extremely  interested  in  what 
I  could  tell  them  of  my  observations  while  on  the  other 
side ;  and  as  they  were  neutrals,  it  was  possible  for  me 
to  talk  to  them  with  greater  freedom  than  with  any  of  the 
Boers. 


364 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

WITH  THE  BURGHERS  ON  THE  VELDT. 

UNABLE  to  leave  the  capital  the  same  day,  I  followed 
the  attaches  twenty-four  hours  later  by  train  to 
Brugespruit.  Here  the  train  stopped  for  the  night,  as  it 
was  deemed  unsafe  to  proceed  any  farther  toward  the  ene- 
my's lines.  Unloading  my  pony  and  blankets,  I  started  to 
ride  another  twenty  miles  to  Balmoral.  I  had  not  gone 
two  miles  before  the  sun  sank  in  a  crimson  bed,  and  a  purple 
darkness  descended  over  the  veldt.  I  was  afraid  to  go  on, 
for  fear  of  losing  my  way.  Two  men  came  riding  along 
with  their  rifles  across  their  saddles,  and  we  stopped  to 
talk.  One  of  them  was  a  correspondent  for  the  '*  Digger's 
News,"  of  Johannesburg;  he  advised  me  to  return  to 
Brugespruit  with  them,  which  I  did,  partaking  of  their 
scanty  supper  of  eggs,  sausage  and  coffee,  and  afterward 
rolling  up  in  my  blankets  between  them  behind  the  station 
building,  falling  off  to  sleep  under  the  clear  gaze  of  the 
brightest  of  full  moons,  which  deigned  to  rise  near  mid- 
night. Forty  or  fifty  burghers  were  camped  around  us, 
all  sleeping  on  the  bare  ground,  most  of  them  with  only  a 
single  blanket,  though  the  air  was  cold. 

With  the  coming  of  dawn  and  the  invigorating  warmth 
of  the  early  sun  we  roused  ourselves  to  forage  for  our 
ponies  and  our  own  breakfasts,  and  then,  after  a  hearty 
good  luck  and  good-by  to  my  comrades  of  the  night,  I 
started  again  on  my  ride  to  Balmoral.  Half-way  I  stopped 
at  a  farmhouse,  bought  a  few  bundles  of  forage  for  my 
pony,  and  at  the  cordial  invitation  of  the  farmer  went  into 

365 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


the  house  to  drink  some  coffee  and  eat  a  piece  of  cake.  I 
rested  and  talked  an  hour,  then  up-saddled  and  started 
on.  As  I  was  about  to  ride  off  two  men  came  riding  into 
the  farmyard,  while  half  a  dozen  halted  outside  ;  one  of 
them  spoke  to  me  and  a^^ked  which  way  I  was  going.  I 
answered,  "  I  am  looking  for  General  Botha's  army  ;  where 
can  I  find  it?"  "  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  he  said  ;  ''follow 
the  railroad  about  ten  miles  and  you  will  find  it.      I  thought 


A  Boer  commando  drawn  up  in  line  to  sing  and  pray  for  the  Republics  before 
starting  out  in  the  morning.  ; 

maybe  you  were  going  the  other  way.  I  was  sent  back 
here  with  a  squad  of  men  to  turn  back  all  stragglers." 
While  I  stopped  at  the  gate  to  talk  to  his  men  the  strag- 
glers came  along,  were  halted,  told  to  return,  phlegmatically 
accepting  the  inevitable  without  protest,  but  off-saddled  to 
rest  awhile  before  going  back. 

Meanwhile  I  rode  on.     Nearing  Balmoral,  I  galloped  past 
an  outpost,  answering  the  sentinel's  salutation  with  a  healthy 

366 


WITH  THE  BURGHERS  ON  THE  VELDT 

American  ''  Hello  !"  Instantly  I  heard  a  whistle,  and 
from  behind  a  clump  of  bushes,  a  little  farther  on,  another 
sentinel  sprang  up,  rifle  in  hand,  and  called  on  me  to  halt. 
I  immediately  obeyed.  He  asked  me,  in  Dutch,  something 
which  I  requested  him  to  repeat  in  English.  This  aroused 
his  suspicion  ;  but  in  tolerable  English  I  was  asked  who  I 
was,  where  I  was  going,  what  I  intended  doing  when  I  got 
there,  and  a  number  of  other  personal  questions.  The  first 
man  was  called  back,  and  together  they  held  a  consultation 
in  Dutch  over  the  passport  which  I  had  tendered  to  them. 
Finally  it  was  returned,  they  having  concluded  that  I  was 
*'all  right."  Apologies  were  offered,  they  raised  their  hats, 
and  I  galloped  on.  Balmoral  station  I  found  surrounded 
by  several  small  commandoes  making  camp  ;  I  was  told 
the  main  army  was.  farther  on.  I  rode  on  four  or  five 
miles,  through  a  rolling  country,  where  every  sheltered 
bit  of  ground  was  occupied  by  the  Boer  troops — a  ragged 
army  it  seemed  to  be,  though  for  the  most  part  the  offi- 
cers were  well  dressed,  wearing  well-cut  riding-trousers, 
and  affecting  a  light  brown  or  grey,  which  was  the  nearest 
approach  to  a  uniform  I  saw. 

As  I  was  passing  through  the  Heidelberg  commando, 
an  unusually  large  and  comfortably  equipped  body  of  men, 
I  was  halted  again  on  suspicion  of  being  a  spy  or  scout 
from  the  enemy's  camp  ;  for  when  again  addressed  in  Dutch 
I  answered  in  English,  and  persistently  refused  to  talk  in 
any  other  language  ;  therefore  I  was  detained  and  asked 
questions  about  my  family,  my  clothing,  etc.,  until  the  veldt 
cornet  decided  that  I  spoke  the  truth,  and  was  indeed  only 
a  harmless  scribe.  So  I  was  allowed  to  ride  on  in  search 
of  the  military  attaches  for  whom  I  was  looking.  Their 
cart  came  galloping  up,  and  the  driver  shouted  to  me  that 
'*the  boss  "  was  behind.  On  I  rode  past  the  huge  camp 
of  the   Heidelbergers,  grouped  around  their  fires  cooking 

36; 


WITH   ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

their  midday  meal,  or  hanging  strips  of  beef  on  strings, 
suspended  from  the  disselbooms  of  their  trek-carts,  to  dry  in 
the  sun  and  make  the  famous  "  biltong"  which  sustained 
them  through  many  a  long  and  weary  march.  As  I 
reached  the  crest  of  a  big  ridge,  before  my  eyes  was  spread 
a  glorious  view  of  the  country  for  twenty  miles  toward 
Pretoria.  Far  off  in  the  distance,  and  to  the  right,  began 
a  black  dotted  line,  like  the  boundary  lines   on  a  map  ;  it 


Dismounted  Burghers  riding  on  ox-carts  during  the  retreat  from  Pretoria.  The 
Boer  will  never  walk  if  any  other  mode  of  locomotion  can  be  pro- 
vided. 

extended  diagonally  toward  the  left,  coming  nearer,  zig- 
zaging  irregularly.  I  turned  my  pony  loose  to  graze  and 
seated  myself  on  an  ant-hill  to  watch,  for  down  in  the  valley 
I  saw  a  body  of  horsemen  coming  my  way.  Then,  looking 
more  closely,  I  saw  another  group  behind  ;  farther  back 
was  another ;  behind  them  I  saw  the  long  line  of  oxen 
drawing  trek-carts,  behind  which  were  more  horsemen, 
all  stretching  irregularly  across  the  veldt  until  joining  the 

368 


WITH  THE  BURGHERS  ON  THE  VELDT 

dotted  line  in  the  extreme  distance  ;  then  I  reaHzed  that 
from  my  vantage-point  I  was  watching  twenty  miles  of 
General  Botha's  army  in  full  retreat  from  the  British.  They 
were  falling  back  to  Balmoral,  where  a  series  of  high  kopjes 
afforded  excellent  positions  for  defence.  The  first  group 
that  cantered  by  were  mostly  middle-aged  men,  dressed  in 
their  oldest  clothes,  greys  and  browns,  their  feet  dangling 
loosely  in  the  stirrups,  their  rifles  slung  behind  their  backs 
or  laid  loosely  across  the  saddles  in  front,  where  a  rolled 
blanket  could  be  seen,  while  at  the  back  of  each  saddle 
hung  a  bag  balanced  by  a  tea-kettle  or  coffee-pot  blackened 
by  a  hundred  fires.  On  each  head  was  a  dusty  felt  hat, 
surmounting  a  mass  of  thick  hair.  The  face  was  heavily 
bearded,  as  a  rule,  while  from  the  eyes  two  fearless  glances 
like  iron  rods  pierced  me  as  the  owner  looked  *'  Who 
are  you  ?  You  are  a  stranger ;  stones  may  be  thrown 
at  you,  but  you  aren't  worth  it ;"  and  as  the  pony  car- 
ried him  by,  the  head  would  turn  to  the  front  again,  and 
the  incident  of  myself  on  the  ant-hill  was  apparently  for- 
gotten. 

The  groups  of  passing  horsemen  grew  more  frequent 
and  more  numerous.  Several  that  passed  were  of  fifty  or 
more  burghers  each.  One  or  two  transport  carts  lumbered 
creakingly  by  ;  then  more  horsemen,  in  pairs  and  singly. 
Occasionally  a  Cape-cart  would  pass,  followed  by  a  Kaffir 
servant  with  extra  riding-horses,  indicating  either  rank  or 
wealth  of  the  owner.  A  few  of  the  individual  horsemen 
had  extra  horses  carrying  surplus  baggage.  All  rode  at  a 
trot  or  slow  canter — not  speedy,  yet  capable  of  covering 
forty  miles  a  day  for  a  week  or  more  without  doing  up  the 
horses.  By  this  time  the  dotted  line  had  resolved  itself 
into  a  long  procession  of  trek-carts,  extending  only  half- 
way across  the  veldt ;  the  end  of  it  was  in  sight,  and  the 
advance  of  the  enemy  was  not  yet  visible.  The  retreat, 
24  369 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

therefore,  was  not  forced,  but  regular  and  orderly,  without 
even  a  rear-guard  fight. 

As  I  scrutinized  the  faces  in  the  column  of  horsemen,  each 
of  whom  passed  by  on  the  new-cut  road  within  twenty  feet 
of  me,  I  wondered  how  their  distinctive  character  might  be 
summed  up  and  expressed  in  a  few  words,  a  single  phrase 
defining  the  entire  man  and  his  companions.  I  searched 
long  for  an  adjective,  but  in  vain.  The  subject  was  un- 
usual, so  the  word  must  be  unusual.  Then  it  occurred 
to  me  that  the  men  must  be  the  result  of  their  environ- 
ment ;   the   characteristics   of  the   country  must  have  been 


One  of  ]>uller's  khaki-painted  guns,  captured  at  the  Tugela  and  put  into  com- 
mission by  the  Boers.  The  crews  are  composed  of  boys  from  twelve  to 
eighteen  years  old,  officered  by  one  or  two  foreign  soldiers  of  fortune. 

impressed  on  their  lives.  I  turned  my  head,  looked  out 
across  the  veldt,  noted  the  characteristics  of  the  land,  and 
then  I  found  what  I  wanted — the  kopjes.  The  kopjes  ex- 
press the  Boers  ;  the  Boers  are  kopje-faced.  Their  faces 
generally  are  as  rough  and  rugged  as  any  kopje  ever 
stormed  by  British  troops  or  defended  by  burgher  warrfors. 
The  stolid  expression  of  their  faces  is  as  impenetrable  as 
the  bare,  grassless  sides  of  those  wonderful  natural  fortifica- 
tions, yet  their  hearts  are  as  soft  and  kind,  when  reached,  as 
the  great,  apparently  inhospitable  veldt  surrounding,  which, 
as  one  who   had  lived  on  its  bosom,  I  had  learned  to  love 

370 


WITH  THE  BURGHERS  ON  THE  VELDT 

and  trust  without  fear.  Yes,  the  Boer  is  kopje-faced  ;  and 
with  the  rough  characteristics  of  those  strange  geological 
excrescences  combines  the  equally  stem,  unchangeable 
virtues  of  strength  and  immovableness. 

I  was  awakened  from  my  reverie  by  a  hand  laid  gently 
on  my  shoulder.  Looking  up,  I  saw  I  was  surrounded  by 
half  a  dozen  young  men,  who  had  left  their  horses  with  a 
larger  group  by  the  road  and  walked  over  to  where  I  was 
sitting.  They  were  talking  to  me,  and  asking  questions  in 
Dutch,  which  was  quickly  changed  to  English  when  I  re- 
quested it  of  them  ;  and  I  answered  the  usual  personal 
questions  about  myself,  being  amused  at  their  simple- 
mannered  way  of  approaching  the  subject,  their  doubt  of 
my  being  "all  right."  I  talked  freely  without  enlightening 
them  much,  feeling  secure  in  the  possession  of  the  passport 
inside  my  vest.  After  awhile  I  walked  carelessly  over  to 
my  pony,  arranged  his  bridle,  placed  my  foot  in  the  stirrup, 
and  was  about  to  spring  into  the  saddle,  when  I  was  halted 
by  a  voice  saying, 

''  I  say,  old  man,  you  won't  mind  coming  over  and  see- 
ing one  of  our  officers,  will  you  ?  You  see  we  aren't 
quite  sure  you  are  all  right."  "Ah!"  I  replied;  "you 
think  I  am  English  and  a  spy  because  I  can't  speak 
Dutch,  don't  you?"  They  began  to  explain;  but  I  cut 
them  short  by  displaying  my  passport  and  saying,  "  I  am 
an  American  correspondent.  Here  are  my  papers.  Does 
that  satisfy  you  ?"      Quickly  came  a  chorus  of 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right."  "We  hope  you  don't  mind." 
"You  see,  we  didn't  know,"  and  a  dozen  other  apologies, 
all  eagerly  offered  to  heal  any  offence  which  they  feared 
they  had  unintentionally  offered  another  man — not  the  cor- 
respondent, mind  you,  but  the  man  ;  for  I  have  never,  in 
all  my  newspaper  experience,  met  a  people  who,  as  a  class 
or  as  individuals,  were  more  indifferent  than  the  Boers  to  the 

371 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

supposed  magical  powers  of  the  knights  of  the  pen. 
**The  power  of  the  press"  was  a  phrase  that  had  no 
meaning  for  them  ;  and  while  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
much  of  the  courtesy  shown  me  by  the  British  was  prob- 
ably directed  to  the  war  correspondent,  all  the  kindness  of 
the  burghers  was  given  to  me  as  to  a  fellow-man  ;  and  I 
appreciated  it  more  highly  accordingly,  as  it  was  the  subtler 
compliment.  They  helped  me  on  my  horse,  petting  and 
patting  him  as  I  mounted,  for  he  was  a  beauty  ;  and  a 
cheery  ''  good-by  "  came  back  in  response  to  my  farewell  sal- 
utation as  I  rode  off,  feeling  that  the  incident  had  brought 
me  more  closely  than  any  other  to  the  real  Boer — the  man 
behind  the  Mauser — the  hero  of  the  veldt. 

I  rode  back  past  the  Heidelbergers,  deciding  to  hunt 
up  the  attaches'  cart  and  await  them  there.  I  found  that 
they  had  arrived  before  me,  having  returned  by  a  different 
road.  My  reception  by  them  placed  me  above  suspicion, 
and  I  learned  later  that  the  burghers  had  passed  judgment 
and  decided  that  I  was  a  consul,  that  the  freedom  of  the 
camp  and  country  was  mine,  and  that  I  was  not  to  be 
asked  questions  about  the  wife  and  children  I  didn't  have. 


372 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 

GENERALS  BOTHA,  DELAREY,  AND  THE  DYNAMITE  BRIGADE. 

AFTER  supper  I  walked  over  to  General  Botha's  head- 
quarters, asked  for  Commandant  Malan,  and  was  by 
him  introduced  to  General  Botha  and  General  Delarey. 
Both  were  very  busy,  holding  consultations  with  their  other 
officers  and  reading  telegrams  from  headquarters  ;  but  they 
had  time  to  talk  a  little  to  the  only  war  correspondent  left 
with  them,  and  General  Botha  described  the  first  day's 
fighting  east  of  Pretoria. 

"  It  was  one  of  the  prettiest  fights  we  have  had,"  he 
said.  "  The  fighting-line  extended  for  thirty-five  miles, 
and  the  British  would  not  have  broken  through  at  all  if 
we  had  not  been  forced  to  send  part  of  our  force  to  the 
relief  of  one  of  the  commandoes  which  had  been  sur- 
rounded." 

I  told  him  I  had  already  cabled  a  full  account  of  that 
fight  to  my  paper,  and  then  asked  him  if  it  was  true  that 
he  and  Delarey  each  had  been  offered  ten  thousand  pounds 
a  year  by  the  British  if  they  would  lay  down  their  arms 
and  surrender. 

**  Yes,  it  is  true,"  said  Botha,  while  General  Delarey 
nodded  his  head  gravely. 

"Well,"  I  said,  ''didn't  you  find  that  offer  rather  tempt- 
ing?"     General  Botha  shook  his  head  and  replied, 

"  I  have  only  one  object  now, — to  continue  fighting  for 
the  independence  of  my  country."  General  Delarey  said 
nothing,  but  kept  looking  at  the  camp-fire,  gravely  nod- 
ding   his  shaggy  head    in   silent  endorsement  of  his  col- 

373 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

league's  sentiments,  with  an  eloquence  which  was  quite  as 
emphatic  as  Botha's  few  words ;  and  in  Botha's  eyes  I 
caught  an  expression  of  lofty  resolve  and  determination 
which  was  not  unmixed  with  fanaticism.  As  the  Generals 
were  busy,  I  left  them,  with  a  promise  to  return  early  next 
morning  to  photograph  them ;  then  I  returned  to  the 
attaches. 

That    evening    we  sat   around   the   fire,    for  it   was  the 
winter  season  in  South  Africa,  and  told   strange  tales  of 


One  of  the  deadly  **  pom-poms,"  or  Vickers- Maxims,  despised  by  •  the 
British,  who  were  compelled  to  suspend  operations  two  months  until  a 
lot  could  be  sent  out  from  England,  after  the  Boers'  first  test  on  the 
Tommies  at  Magersfontein. 

things  which  were  and  of  many  more  which  neither  have 
been  nor  will  be  ;  for,  extept  when  "  talking  shop,"  military 
attaches  and  war  correspondents  are  as  other  men,  and  the 
prophet  has  said,  "All  men  are  liars." 

During  the  night  we  slept  lightly,  for  we  were  camped 
between  a  detachment  of  the  Irish  brigade  and  the  Ameri- 
can scouts ;  so  it  was  deemed  wise  to  tie  our  horses' 
halters  to  our  servants'  wrists,  to  sleep  on  the  few  bundles 
of  forage  yet   remaining,  and  to   refrain  from   making  un- 

374 


BOTHA.  DPXAREY— DYNAMITE   BRIGADE 

necessary  comments  on  the  amount  of  chicken  feathers 
which  marked  the  spot  where  a  poultry-house  had  stood 
earher  in  the  day,  but  which,  with  its  occupants,  had  van- 
ished to  furnish  warmth  and  food  for  the  foreign  sym- 
pathizers who  had  so  nobly  come  across  the  seas  to  aid 
the  Boer  cause. 

With  the  first  rays  of  the  rising  sun  the  following  day 
I  was  back  at  the  headquarters  camp  to  take  the  prom- 
ised photographs.  The  Generals  were  at  breakfast ;  de- 
clining the  invitation  to  join  in  a  cup  of  coffee,  I  hurriedly 
**  snapped"  the  breakfast  party  on  the  open  veldt,  and  a  few 
moments  later  took  another  of  General  Botha  by  his  cart, 
where  he  had  gone  for  a  few  moments  to  receive  a  report 
from  an  outpost.  I  found  General  Botha  exceedingly  cor- 
dial, as  well  as  self-contained,  and  possessed  of  plenty  of 
dignity.  He  is  a  young  man — not  more  than  thirty-five, 
and  is  idolized  by  his  men.  He  is  rather  muscularly  built, 
about  five  feet  eight  inches  high,  has  dark-brown  hair,  a 
ruddy,  healthy  complexion,  wears  a  moustache  and  small 
goatee,  and  appeared  to  be  slightly  conscious  of  his  posi- 
tion as  commander-in-chief,  and  thoroughly  enjoyed  it. 
General  Delarey  never  said  a  word  to  me  except  when  I 
was  introduced  to  him  and  when  we  shook  hands  at  part- 
ing;  he  looked  at  me  when  we  were  talking,  and  nodded  his 
head  from  time  to  time,  but  made  no  comment.  Neither 
of  these  men  was  in  any  way  *'  playing  for  the  newspaper 
public."  They  had  their  work  cut  out  and  proposed  to 
do  it,  and  whether  the  rest  of  the  world  ever  found  it  out 
and  took  any  notice  of  them  or  not  was  a  matter  of  supreme 
indifference  to  them. 

At  breakfast  in  the  morning,  where  I  discovered  that 
canned  sourcrout  was  edible,  our  latest  guest,  Captain 
Ricardi,  of  the  Italian  brigade,  informed  us  that  he  had 
been  elevated  to  the  command  of  the  dynamite  train  and 

3/5 


WITH   ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

crew,  and  invited  us  to  view  his  men  destroy  a  railway 
bridge  about  ten  miles  beyond  our  camp  and  only  a  few 
miles  in  front  of  the  advancing  lines  of  Lord  Roberts'  army. 
It  was  nearly  noon  when  we  reached  the  bridge,  which 
we  found  to  consist  of  three  spans  over  a  large  spruit.  I 
first  took  a  photograph  of  the  entire  structure  from  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  yards  upstream.  Then,  after  the 
custom  of  the  Boers,  I  off-saddled    my  pony,  leaving  him 


Commander-in-Chief  Louis  Botha  holding  a  consultation  with  his  officers  at 

Balmoral. 


to  graze  in  a  small  field  near  a  farmhouse  close  by,  and 
made  an  examination  of  the  work  of  the  dynamite  crew. 
They  had  mined  both  sides  of  the  two  central  supporting 
piers  on  opposite  banks  of  the  spruit,  and  I  learned  with 
surprise  that  they  had  been  engaged  for  fifteen  hours  con- 
tinuously at  this  work,  and  had  not  yet  completed  it.  The 
sun  was  nearly  overhead,  and  the  shadow  of  the  span 
almost  prevented  my  photographing  at  all,  but  I  succeeded 

3/6 


BOTHA,  DELAREY— DYNAMITE  BRIGADE 

in  getting  snap-shots  at  different  stages  of  the  work.  One 
was  of  a  group  completing  an  excavation  in  which  to  place 
the  explosives.  These  were  ordinary  dynamite  sticks  of 
the  kind  used  in  the  mines  on  the  Rand.  Then  I  found 
another  group  on  the  other  side  of  the  pier,  almost  through 
with  their  task  of  covering  up  the  dynamite  with  large  stones 
roughly  cemented  with  thick,  clayey  mud.  The  finished 
appearance  I  found  in  the  masonry  foundations  at  the  end 
of  the  bridge,  which  I  photographed,  showing  several  large 
stones,  part  of  a  bagful  of  mud  on  top,  and  on  one  side  the 
white  fuses  extending  ready  for  firing. 

At' this  juncture  several  scouts  came  riding  in  from  a  line 
of  kopjes  in  the  distance  and  reported  the  enemy  in  sight. 
Preparations  were  made  to  fire  at  once,  and  while  the  crew 
were  putting  on  the  finishing  touches  I  quickly  up-saddled 
and  rode  upstream,  looking  for  a  safe  and  convenient  place 
to  observe  the  explosions  and  photograph  them. 

As  I  did  so  I  found  that  the  sun  had  so  changed  its  posi- 
tion that  in  order  to  take  the  pictures  I  would  have  to  cross 
to  the  other  side  of  the  spruit,  and  this,  with  the  enemy 
within  a  few  miles  and  advancing,  was  rather  annoying ; 
but  the  photographs  had  to  be  taken,  so  up  the  stream  I 
rode  for  nearly  a  mile  before  I  found  a  suitable  place  to 
cross.  Then  I  went  back  to  within  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  of  the  bridge. 

Already  two  clouds  of  white  smoke  were  ascending  from 
the  lighted  fuses  at  one  end  of  the  bridge  ;  then  two  more 
started  to  creep  skyward,  and  as  a  man  appeared  on  top  and 
started  to  run  across  to  where  the  dynamite  train  was  wait- 
ing to  steam  away  two  more  appeared.  The  engine  whistled 
and  moved  off.  Half  a  mile  beyond,  on  a  kopje,  I  could 
see  Captains  Ram  and  Reichman  quietly  sitting  on  their 
horses. 

Between  myself  and   my  friends  was  the  spruit  with  its 

377 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

difficult  banks,  making  crossing  impossible,  and  the  bridge 
with  its  loaded  foundations  about  to  be  blown  up.  Hold- 
ing my  camera  ready  in  hand,  after  a  few  half-nervous 
glances  backward  to  see  if  the  enemy  were  yet  in  sight,  I 
kept  my  eyes  steadily  on  the  bridge  and  waited. 

Suddenly  one  end  of  the  central  span  raised  thirty  feet  in 


Capuiiu  Riiui,  ihc  Hollander  military  attach^,  General  Delarey,  and  General 
Louis  Botha  breakfasting  in  the  laager  at  Balmoral. 


the  air  to  a  forty-five-degree  angle  ;  then,  before  it  dropped, 
a  cloud  of  smoke  and  dust  shot  above  and  around  it — grey, 
pointed,  and  several  hundred  feet  high,  slowly  expanding 
in  dense  clouds.  Then  came  a  dull  boom,  which  echoed  a 
few  times,  while  half  a  dozen  stones  as  large  as  walnuts 
fell  near  me,  and  one  rock  as  big  as  a  water-pail  fell  ten 
yards  from  my  pony's  nose,  causing  him  to  tug  nervously  at 

378 


BOTHA,  DELAREY— DYNAMITE   BRIGADE 

the  bridle  and  seriously  disturb  my  efforts  to  turn  another 
film  into  place  before  the  next  explosion. 

Four  times  more  came  that  dull  boom,  the  end  founda- 
tions goinfT  up  together,  and  each  time  I  snapped  at  the 
clouds  of  dust,  my  attention  being  divided  between  falling 
stones,  a  nervous  pony,  and  the  enemy  somewhere  behind. 
Then  I  rode  quickly  up  to  the  wreck  to  take  a  last  picture  of 
the  destruction,  arriving  there  as  the  dust  cleared  away  and 
while  the  dynamite  crew  were  still  on  their  train.  The  central 
span  had  fallen  horizontally  across  the  spruit,  resting  on  the 
bases  of  the  shattered  piers,  and  it  was  necessary  that  it  be 
broken  by  the  use  of  another  half-box  of  dynamite.      My 


Railway  Bridge  over  the  Oliphant  River  near  Balmoral. 

last  film  was  exposed,  and  I  hurried  upstream  again  to 
find  the  ford  and  recross  to  friends  and  safety,  for  how,  in- 
deed, could  I  explain  my  position  if  captured  in  the  act  of 
blowing  up  the  railway  communications  and  taken  before 
my  late  friends,  the  British  ? 

As  I  found  and  crossed  the  drift  I  heard  a  terrific  roar, 
followed  by  the  familiar  swish  swishing  of  a  shell  in  the  air, 
and  looking  beyond  the  bridge  I  saw  the  Boer  **  Long 
Tom,"  a  ninety-six-pounder,  mounted  on  a  railway  truck, 
her  crew  actively  engaged  in  getting  ready  for  another  shot. 

Turning  in  my  saddle  I  looked  back,  and  there,  a  mile 
to  my  rear,  along  the  sky-line,  where  khaki-colored  veldt 

379 


WITH   "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 


and  brightest  of  blue  skies  met,  I  saw  at  regular  fifty-yard 
intervals  the  advance-line  of  mounted  English  scouts  slowly 
creeping  eastward,  and  I  knew  that  behind  the  rise  General 
French,  or  Hutton,  or  maybe  Baden-Powell  himself,  with 
ten  thousand  men,  was  advancing  to  drive  back  General 
Botha's  little  army  of  twenty-five  hundred. 

As  we  rode  back  to  camp  again  I  discussed  the   subject 


IIIIIHHHHI 

^^^ 

^Hh|HH 

■T 

^^^^^^■^gi  <  > 

I'    'J 

wk: 

I^hE  m  ^B    sMf^J!^^te 

^l^^^^^i^^;'  - 

■c;^^M^^ 

The  Italian  Dynamite  Brigade  mining  tlie  piers  of  the  Oliphant  River  bridge. 

of  that  offer  to  the  Generals    of  ten   thousand   pounds   a 
year,  and  said  it  hardly  seemed  possible. 

**Well,"  said  one  of  the  attaches,  ''  I  don't  see  why  you 
should  doubt  it.  England,  in  all  her  wars,  has  always  tried 
to  buy  off  the  leaders  on  the  other  side  ;  and  you  as  an 
American,  of  all  people,  should  not  forget  the  case  of  Ben- 
edict Arnold."  This  from  a  foreigner,  and  recalHng  that 
unhappy  incident  in  the  history  of  my  own  country,  settled 

380 


BOTHA,  DELAREY— DYNAMITE  BRIGADE 


all  doubts.  Later  I  made  careful  inquiries,  and  found  the 
offer  was  made  through  the  medium  of  some  female  rela- 
tives of  the  Generals,  who  were  sent  out  of  Pretoria  to  re- 
join their  husbands.  Fuller  particulars  I  was  unable  to 
obtain,  but  it  was  officially  stated  to  be  a  fact ;  and  bulle- 
tins, announcing  that  Kriiger  anticipated  a  similar  offer 
himself,  together  with  the  facts  already  narrated,  were 
spread  broadcast  over  the  country. 

Commandant  Malan,  who  had  presented  me  to   Botha, 


Colonel   Ricardi  of  the  Dynamite  Brigade  superintending  the  covering  up  of 
the  dynamite  charge  before  firing. 

told  me  a  story  which  I  must  repeat  here.  He,  together 
with  Johan  Rissek,  Surveyor  General  of  the  Transvaal,  had 
been  appointed  by  General  Botha  to  represent  the  Boers  in 
a  military  court  of  inquiry  to  be  held  at  Kronstad.  The 
case  was  one  of  British  outrage.  According  to  issued 
proclamations,  whenever  the  railway  was  destroyed  the 
nearest  farm  was  to  be  burned  by  the  British  troops. 

This  had  occurred.     A  piece  of  track  was  torn  up  near 
Kronstad  ;    when    it    was    discovered,  a    body    of  British 

381 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

soldiers  went  to  the  nearest  farm,  confiscated  the  Hve  stock, 
looted  and  burned  the  buildings,  casting  the  occupants  out 
on  the  veldt,  and  made  prisoners  of  the  men.  Among  the 
inmates  was  a  woman  who  had  but  the  day  before  given 
birth  to  a  child.  The  doctor  in  attendance  protested  against 
the  woman  being  moved,  but  the  soldiers  were  obdurate ; 
so  she  was  carried  out  and  laid  on  a  mattress,  and,  later  in 
the  day,  was  removed  to  a  neighboring  farm  some  miles 
distant.  The  incident  came  to  General  Botha's  ears,  and 
he  sent  to  General  Roberts  a  protest  against  such  brutality. 
A  reply  came,  after  some  delay,  asking  that  delegates  be 
sent  to  a  court  of  inquiry  that  had  been  ordered.  Malan 
and  Rissek  were  sent.  The  court  was  held,  and  the  case 
dismissed  as  not  proven  ;  the  witnesses  for  the  accusers 
had,  in  one  way  or  another,  been  placed  out  of  reach. 
After  several  weeks'  delay  the  two  Transvaalers  were  re- 
turned to  their  own  side  and  the  subject  was  dropped.  Yet 
there  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  details  of  the  outrage  as  given 
above.  There  were  ugly  stories  of  cases  of  rape  by  Eng- 
lish **  Tommies,"  and  they  were  generally  believed  by  the 
burghers  and  headquarters  officials. 

A  pathetic  tale  came  from  Pretoria  during  the  occupa- 
tion. An  old  burgher  was  found  crying  bitterly.  *' Why, 
man,"  said  a  friend,  ''this  is  not  the  way  to  take  defeat." 

"Ah  !"  was  the  reply,  *'the  English  have  destroyed  my 
farms  and  taken  my  cattle  ;  they  have  burned  my  home ; 
and  of  my  four  sons,  two  are  dead  and  two  are  prisoners ; 
they  have  robbed  us  of  our  liberty,  have  taken  our  country 
and  our  capital  ;  they  have  taken  my  house  in  this  city,  and, 
not  content  with  all  this,  they  have  now  robbed  my 
daughters  of  their  honor."  The  case  in  question  was  one 
in  which  two  young  Boer  girls  had  been  in  the  power  of 
English  officers  quartered  in  their  father's  house. 

This  story  was  told  me  by  a  clergyman  who  came  out  of 

382 


BOTHA,  DELAREY— DYNAMITE   BRIGADE 

Pretoria  two  weeks  after  its  occupation,  disguised  as  a  Red 
Cross  man.  With  him  came  my  photographic  partner, 
Mr.  Aamsden,  who  had  remained  behind  when  I  had  left 
the  day  before  Lord  Roberts'  entry.  Mr.  Aamsden  made 
me  a  present  of  my  overcoat,  which  I  had  left  behind  ;  so 
that  now,  in  addition  to  its  Alaskan  experiences,  it  had  been 
in  Pretoria  while  the  British  were  taking  that  city.  I  was 
sorry  I  had  not  been  inside  the  coat,  to  have  compared  the 
entry  into  Pretoria  with  the  entry  into  Bloemfontein ;  yet, 
from  what  Mr.  Aamsden  told  me,  it  was  rather  a  dreary 
affair,  very  little  enthusiasm  being  displayed  by  the  troops. 
"But  *  The  Lords,'  "  he  said,  quoting  Colonel  Blake's  favor- 
ite phrase,  *'  were  most  awfully  glad  to  be  released,  and 
were  immediately  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  admirers." 
It's  a  great  thing  to  be  taken  prisoner  if  you  are  released 
or  escape  soon  enough — especially  if  you  are  a  Lord. 


383 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

A    COMMANDEERING    EXPEDITION    OF    NO    ACCOUNT. 

AFTER  two  days  at  the  front  with  General  Botha's 
army  I  returned  again  to  Machadodorp  in  time  to 
meet  Ryan,  who  had  come  up  from  the  coast  with  a  batch 
of  letters — the  first  I  had  received  in  over  a  month.  Then 
followed  more  days  of  news- gathering  and  cabling  to  Lon- 
don, not  much  of  it  very  important,  yet  all  of  great  interest, 
because  it  was  from  the  enemy's  camp,  and  the  only  news 
from  that  source.  Several  items  of  it  cleared  up  the  very 
vague  reports  issued  by  the  Imperial  authorities  ;  as,  for  in- 
stance, my  account  of  the  capture  of  some  of  the  Thirteenth 
Yeomanry,  the  capture  of  a  construction  train  and  three 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  the  capture  of  over  seven  hundred 
of  the  Derbys  ;  and,  during  the  ten  days'  isolation  of  Lord 
Roberts,  when  De  Wet  had  cut  off  his  communications, 
my  cables  to  London  to  the  ''  Express  "  were  absolutely 
the  only  correspondent's  messages  from  the  actual  fighting 
front. 

During  these  days  at  Machadodorp  there  was  consider- 
able anxiety  lest  the  English  would  make  some  arrange- 
ment with  the  Portuguese  to  allow  the  landing  of  a  British 
force  in  the  rear  of  the  Boers.  A  force  was  expected  to 
come  through  Swaziland,  and  I  cabled  the  report  of  the 
capture  of  some  of  their  scouts.  The  report  was  false,  but 
I  did  not  learn  this  in  time  to  prevent  me  going  down  near 
the  Swaziland  border  to  investigate  for  myself  A  special 
train  and  a  company  of  mounted  police  were  sent  to  Bar- 
berton,  the  latter  to   commandeer   horses  and  forage,  and 

384 


A  COMMANDEERING  EXPEDITION 

to  report  on  the  Swaziland  situation.  By  special  permis- 
sion of  Secretary  Reitz  I  accompanied  the  expedition.  We 
arrived  at  the  sleepy  little  mining  town  of  Barberton,  its 
mines  abandoned,  its  stores  closed,  and  its  people  either 
absent  at  the  front,  fighting,  or  else  at  home  playing  tennis 
and  waiting  for  the  end  to  come.  The  advent  of  our  party 
with  our  handsome  horses,  and  the  uniforms  of  the  Johannes- 
burg police  who  made  up  our  force,  created  a  great  stir. 
By  the  next  morning  there  was  not  a  decent  horse  within 
five  miles,  all  having  been  spirited  away  during  the  night. 


Blowing  up  of  the  Oliphant  River  bridge. 

The  commandeering  party  finally  started  across  country, 
and  I  decided  it  would  not  be  worth  my  while  to  accompany 
them  ;  so  I  hunted  up  a  boarding-house,  where  I  got  a 
glimpse  of  civilized  life  again,  and  took  a  good  rest  for  a 
few  days.  Ryan  was  back  at  Machadodorp  ready  to  wire 
me  the  instant  anything  of  importance  should  occur.  My 
impression  of  this  pretty  little  oasis  is  best  expressed  in  a 
letter  I  wrote  from  there  to  a  friend  in  America.  In  it  I 
said  : 

*'Two  years  and  a  half  ago  I  lay   in  a  hospital   on  the 
.25  385 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Chilkoot  trail,  half  delirious  with  pain  and  fever,  and  for 
days  dreamed  of  orange  groves  and  eating  great  quantities 
of  the  luscious  fruit.  As  I  grew  stronger  I  determined  to 
find  those  groves.  To-day,  after  spending  half  a  year  in 
the  Arctic  regions,  a  year  in  the  States,  and  another  half 
year  'way  around  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe  in  South 
Africa,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  have  eaten  the  fruit 
fresh  from  the  trees.  No,  I  didn't  '  walk  arm  in  arm  with 
myself  through  shady  groves  hung  richly  full  with  the  yel- 
low fruit.'  I  just  picked  up  the  usual  garden  tool,  and 
going  out  into  the  back  yard,  raked  off  a  hatful,  then  went 
around  to  the  front  of  the  house  and  innocently  offered 
some  to  my  host,  in  the  same  old  way  we  help  ourselves  to 
apples  in  Pennsylvania.  Yes,  and  we  pile  the  skins  and 
seeds  on  a  newspaper,  and  later  on  carry  it  off  to  throw  on 
a  brush  heap,  and  wonder  why  some  people  are  foolish 
enough  to  pay  fancy  prices  for  such  common  fruit. 

''  I  came  into  town  by  special  train  in  company  with  half 
a  dozen  special  police  on  a  commandeering  expedition.  I 
left  the  police  and  hunted  up  the  beautiful  little  boarding- 
house  where  I  am  writing  copy.  The  arrival  of  the  police 
made  a  sensation  in  the  quiet  little  town.  Only  one  train 
a  week  was  run  from  this  place,  so  the  arrival  of  a  stranger 
accompanied  by  a  squad  of  mounted  police  was  an  item  of 
some  consequence.  I  introduced  myself  as  a  'journalist'  ' 
I  noticed  that  no  one  believed  me.  They  evidently  thought 
I  was  about  to  commandeer  the  whole  place. 

"  At  dark,  while  sitting  unobserved  in  a  corner,  I  heard 
a  man  make  some  careless  remarks  about  the  government. 
Not  caring  to  be  an  eavesdropper,  I  got  up  and  walked  off 
The  man  followed  me  and  begged  me  not  to  give  him 
away.  I  promised,  and  accepted  his  proffered  cigar.  After 
smoking  one-third  of  it  I  changed  my  mind,  and  reported 
him — not  for  disloyalty,  but  for  attempted  poisoning. 

386 


A  COMMANDEERING  EXPEDITION 


**  I  am  wridng  on  a  beautifully  vine-shaded  stoop,  and 
trying  to  recover  from  the  disgust  of  being  unanimously 
regarded  a  spy.  In  every  other  part  of  South  Africa  the 
merest  intimation  that  I  was  a  war  correspondent  was  the 
signal  for  a  general  opening  of  the  path  to  all  sorts  of  privi- 
leges and  conditions  ;  but  here  people  talk  in  whispers 
when  I  am  around,  and  stop  altogether  when  I  approach. 
Very  bold  ones  volunteer  some  idiotic  remark  about  the 
weather  with  a  veldt-like  smile,  and  then  I  yearn  for  my 
suspected  power,  that  I  might  put  the  whole  town  in  *  trunk/ 
as  they  call  the  jail." 


^■^ 

f^' 

^^D 

a 

Transvaal  Burgher  putting  up  white  flag  over  his  home  on  the  approach  of  the 
British  as  General  Botha  retires.     Taken  near  the  Oliphant  River. 

After  four  days  of  this  idleness,  and  having  written 
masses  of  copy  and  indulged  in  the  luxury  of  a  bath  every 
day,  I  decided  that  it  was  time  to  get  back  to  Machado- 
dorp.  Inquiry  at  the  railway  brought  out  the  astounding 
fact  that  no  regular  trains  were  running,  and  that  I  might 
have  to  wait  a  week  longer  before  a  special  would  come.  I 
telegraphed  to  Secretary  Reitz,  who,  on  the  authority  of 
President  Kriiger,  ordered  out  a  special  ''trolley"  (hand- 
car) for  me.  This  was  pushed  up  the  grades  by  Zulu  **boys," 
who  piled  on  top  of  one  another,  behind,  whenever  a 
down-grade  was  reached.     The  distance  that  it  had  to  take 

387 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

me  was  thirty-five  miles,  I  started  out  with  five  boys  and 
a  conductor.  After  going  about  eight  miles  the  conductor 
and  three  of  the  boys  left  me.  Then  I  ran  another  five 
miles  to  a  way -station,  where  I  was  provided  with  a  new 
and  better  trolley  and  two  new  boys,  who  took  me  the  rest 
of  the  distance  ;  the  **  time  "  of  the  entire  trip  was  about 
three  hours.  There  were  some  steep  grades,  down  which 
the  car  dashed  over  the  rails  at  a  terrific  rate  ;  I  held  the 
brake  myself,  but  kept  it  clear  of  the  wheels  in  order  to 
make  time.  Occasionally  we  would  pass  the  crushed  and 
splintered  wreck  of  a  trolley  by  the  track,  and  my  con- 
ductor told  me  that  they  were  the  results  of  meeting  un- 
expected *' specials"  coming  up.  We  had  no  accidents, 
but  that  in  itself  was  an  accident. 

The  road  ran  along  a  small  river  descending  toward  the 
Koomaati,  so  that  the  entire  trip  was  a  descent.  At  the 
right  was  a  range  of  low  kopjes,  bare  and  grassless,  a  few 
cacti  and  thorn-bushes  relieving  the  monotony. 

The  end  of  the  thirty-five  miles  brought  me  to  the  main 
line  again,  where,  an  hour  later,  I  caught  the  daily  express 
for  Machadodorp,  arriving  there  early  the  following  morn- 
ing. 

During  the  first  seven  miles,  my  conductor,  who,  though  a 
half-caste,  was  very  intelligent,  in  reply  to  my  inquiries, 
gave  me  the  information  which  explained  the  mystery  of  an 
attack  on  the  railway  a  few  days  before.  The  tale,  with 
appropriate  additions  by  myself,  is  as  follows  : 

Adjoining  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Transvaal  Re- 
public at  its  extreme  eastern  border,  cut  off  from  the  sea 
on  the  farther  side  by  the  Portuguese  strip  along  the  coast, 
lies  the  independent  native  state,  Swaziland.  Where  these 
three  countries  meet  is  a  high  plateau,  five  to  ten  miles 
broad  and  thirty  or  more  miles  long.  In  the  boundary 
treaties,  agreed  upon  by  men  who   knew  nothing  of  the 

388 


A  COMMANDEERING  EXPEDITION 

country,  the  line  of  division  between  the  Portuguese  and 
the  other  two  States  was  indicated  by  this  elevation,  the  ter- 
ritory drained  by  water  running  eastward  or  westward  de- 
ciding which  States  held  legal  possession.  Rut,  unknown 
to  the  framers  of  the  treaty,  this  strip  was  nearly  level. 
The  waters  collected  in  small  lakes  and  ran  neither  way, 
and  in  the  course  of  time  it  came  to  be  called  **  No-man's- 
land  ;"  also  the  refuge  of  outlaws  and  other  refugees  from 
justice,  who,  living  among  a  few  peaceful  natives,  success- 


Private  hand-car  or   "Trolley,"  pushed  by  Zulus,  ordered  out  for  the  author 
by  President  Kriiger.      A  South  African  twentieth  century  automobile. 

fully  defied  the  authorities  of  all  three  States.  When  war 
between  the  Republics  and  England  appeared  clearly  inev- 
itable, a  fev/  English  residents,  some  of  them  burghers,  to 
escape  transportation  or  impressment,  quietly  collected 
their  herds  of  cattle  and  drove  them  across  the  border  into 
No-man's-land,  to  there  await  the  conclusion  of  hostilities. 
There  were,  perhaps,  fifty  white  men,  including  a  few  noto- 
rieties from  ''The  Rand"  and  Lorenzo  Marquez — men 
good   enough  if  unmolested,   having  no  enemies  but  the 

389 


WITH  "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

law ;    and    who   welcomed    the    newcomers    cordially,  yet 
Mauser  in  hand,  on  guard  against  possible  treachery. 

Fifty  miles  northward  ran  the  railway  line  from  Preto- 
ria to  the  sea  ;  this  was  the  line  of  the  Boer  retreat  and 
the  sole  avenue  of  escape.  Whether  inspired  by  patriot- 
ism for  England,  hatred  for  the  country  whose  laws  they 
had  broken  and  from  which  they  had  been  forced  to  flee, 
late  in  June  a  small  party  of  heavily-armed  men,  with  a 


Side  view  of  the  Malelane  Bridge,  wrecked  by  British  Scouts,  sixty  miles 
inside  of  the  enemy's  lines. 

dozen  horses  and  two  carts,  descended  from  the  plateau  of 
No-man's-land,  and,  travelling  mainly  by  night,  seen  only 
by  a  few  frightened  natives,  reached  the  railway  line  near 
Malelane.  Five  hundred  yards  from  the  station  a  heavy 
iron  bridge  of  a  single  span,  resting  on  massive  foundations 
of  granite  masonry,  crossed  the  bed  of  a  small  stream. 

This,  like  all  the  conduits  on  the  line,  was  guarded  by  a 
squad   of  Boers.      Early  in   the   morning,  before   dawn,  a 

390 


A  COMMANDEERING  EXPEDITION 

heavily  loaded  freight  train  crept  slowly  along  the  track, 
puffing  out  great  clouds  of  smoke,  and,  with  much  noise 
and  effort,  vomiting  fire  and  steam  into  the  night  air.  The 
engine  reached  the  bridge  ;  then  there  was  a  dull  explo- 
sion, followed  by  a  crash  and  a  silence,  save  for  the  subdued 
hissing  of  escaping  steam,  which  deadened  a  few  moans  from 
the  dry  bed  of  the  stream  below. 

With  light  came  rescuing  parties,  by  train  and  by  horse, 
some  having  heard  the  explosion  five  miles  away,  though 
at  the  station  near-by  no  one  was  aroused.  In  the  early 
morning  the  burghers  tenderly  lifted  a  dead  engineer  and  a 
dying  fireman  from  the  wreck,  while  nine  others,  chance 
passengers  and  trainmen,  were  carried  to  the  Red  Cross 
hospital  at  Waterval  Oonder.  Numerous  arrests  were 
made  at  once.  Engineers  arrived  with  supplies  and  a  tem- 
porary bridge  was  constructed  within  ten  days  ;  but  for  that 
period  the  situation  was  serious  for  the  Boers  ;  for,  though 
they  personally  could  retire  easily  enough,  their  supplies  and 
their  heavy  guns  could  only  be  transported  by  rail.  A 
week  later  rumor  told  of  a  few  stores  and  a  farm  or  two 
looted  near  the  Swaziland  border.  The  authorities  at 
Machadodorp  were  never  agreed  as  to  who  destroyed  the 
bridge,  but  my  informant  knew  that  off  on  the  high  plateau 
a  small  settlement  of  outlaws  and  refugees  were  enjoying 
new  and  abundant  supplies  of  coffee  and  sugar.  Later,  the 
bridge  was  reconstructed  and  re-destroyed  by  the  Boers 
themselves  while  retiring  before  Lord  Roberts'  steady  ad- 
vance. So  ended  the  so-called  Raid  from  No-man's-land, 
for  a  time  a  mystery,  but  soon  forgotten. 


391 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

THE    LAST    DAY    WITH    KRUGER A    TIGHT    PLACE. 

EACH  day  brought  its  new  faces  and  strange  stories  to 
the  new  capital.  A  German  officer  serving  in  the 
Boer  army  told  me  why  the  English  prisoners  had  not  been 
removed  before  the  surrender  of  Pretoria ;  of  the  four  or 
five  thousand  held  by  the  Boers,  only  nine  hundred  were 
gotten  away  to  Nooitgedacht.  It  seems  that  preparations 
were  made  to  remove  them  a  week  before  the  surrender, 
but  when  the  guards  went  to  the  prison  in  Pretoria  the 
British  officers  refused  to  march  out.  This  German  officer 
then  went  to  the  authorities  and  asked  to  be  entrusted  with 
authority  to  bring  the  prisoners  out. 

'*  How  will  you  do  it  ?" 

"  Order  them  to  march  out,  one  at  a  time,  and  if  they 
refuse,  shoot  them  at  once  with  my  revolver ;  it  is  entirely 
consistent  with  the  rules  of  warfare,  and  after  half  a  dozen 
have  been  shot,  and  the  rest  see  that  I  mean  business,  there 
will  be  no  further  trouble  ;  they  will  all  come  willingly 
enough,  then." 

The  German  was  a  man  who  would  have  done  as  he 
promised,  too,  and  not  only  the  several  hundred  English 
officers,  but  also  the  thousands  of  private  soldiers  would 
have  been  out  of  the  way  before  the  entry  of  the  British 
troops.  But  the  Boer  authorities  were  too  tender-hearted 
for  such  heroic  measures.  They  were  afraid  that  such  an 
act  would  alienate  foreign  sympathy,  and  the  English 
**  bluff"  was  allowed  to  prevail,  and  Lord  Roberts'  entry 
into  Pretoria  liberated  what  might  have  been  valuable  host- 

392 


THE  LAST  DAY  WITH  KRUGER 

ages  in  the  hands  of  the  Boers  when  the  time  for  final  settle- 
ment arrived. 

General  Botha's  secretary  was  chief  in  command  at  Pre- 
toria in  the  last  few  days  before  the  surrender.  Speaking 
to  him  of  Lords  Manners  and  Rosslyn,  I  asked  why  they 
were  not  brought  on  to  Machadodorp.      He  replied, 

**  I  gave  orders  to  their  guards  to  bring  them  down  to 
the  station  when  I  left  on  the  train,  and  intended  that  they 
should  be  held  for  awhile  longer,  at  any  rate.  The  beg- 
garly guards,  however,  failed  to  obey  my  orders,  and  as  I 
did  not  discover  it  until  the  last  moment  it  was  too  late  for 
me  to  go  personally  and  bring  them  out  myself  When 
you  see  them  again  you  may  tell  them  for  me  that  I  thor- 
oughly intended  that  they  should  remain  prisoners  and  be 
removed  to  Machadodorp  instead  of  being  allowed  to  es- 
cape." It  may  interest  my  and  Colonel  Blake's  Pretoria 
friends — *' The  Lords" — to  know  this. 

Another  item  of  interest  was  told  me  by  a  government 
official,  while  at  Machadodorp,  which  has  a  strong  bear- 
ing on  the  attitude  the  powers  may  adopt  when  the  time 
for  final  settlement  at  the  conclusion  of  the  war  shall 
come.  My  informant  said,  "  My !  won't  the  British  be 
mad,  when  the  war  is  over,  to  find  that,  after  all,  they  have 
lost  the  gold  mines  for  which  they  have  really  been  fight- 
ing?" 

**  Why,  how  is  that  ?"  I  asked  ;  "  surely  the  Boers  haven't 
carried  them  off,  nor  have  they  been  destroyed,  as  was  ex- 
pected." 

*'  Well,  I'll  explain  it  to  you,"  he  continued.  **  You  see, 
the  government  originally  leased  the  mines  with  the  pro- 
vision that  if  at  any  time  they  should  remain  un  worked  for 
a  period  of  six  months  the  leases  would  revert  to  the  gov- 
ernment. Of  course,  the  beginning  of  the  war  put  a  stop 
to  all  mining  operations,  and  when  the  war  was  six  months 

393 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

old  the  government  privately  sold  the   reverted   leases  to 
French  and  German  capitalists. 

'*  Now,  when  the  war  is  officially  declared  over,  these 
capitalists,  through  their  governments,  will  insist  on  their 
claims,  and  all  sorts  of  unpleasant  complications  for  Eng- 
land will  be  the  result.  Nothing  will  be  done  in  this  matter 
until  the  war  is  entirely  at  an  end,  for  the  powers  desire  that 
England  shall  have  expended  as  much  of  her  resources  as 
possible  in  her  contest  with  the  Republics.  Rather  clever 
of  the  government,  wasn't  it?  You  see,  in  this  way  two  of 
the  powers  have  been  furnished  with  a  technical  excuse  for 
interference,  and,  in  addition,  the  Republics  have  succeeded 
in  enlisting  on  their  side  un-national  capital,  which  is  the  force 
behind  all  civil  power,  and  must  fight  for  its  rights  wherever 
and  by  whomsoever  assailed.  England  will  certainly  object 
to  surrendering  the  mines,  and  then  the  trouble  will  begin." 
It  will  be  interesting,  now  that  the  war  appears  to  be  near- 
ing  its  final  stages,  to  remember  this  phase  of  the  subject, 
and  see  whether  there  will  be  any  international  develop- 
ments to  which  my  informant's  remarks  may  be  the  key. 

Two  incidents  of  some  interest  occurred  on  the  train  be- 
fore I  returned  to  Machadodorp.  One  was  the  meeting  with 
an  acquaintance  who  expressed  great  surprise  on  seeing  me. 
''Why,"  he  said,  "  I  heard  you  had  been  arrested  as  a  spy 
and  had  been  sent  to  the  prison-pen  at  Nooitgedacht." 
This  was  welcome  intelligence  indeed,  and  I  wondered 
whether  such  an  intention  on  the  part  of  the  authorities  had 
been  father  to  the  report.  However,  I  went  to  the  capital, 
to  liberty  or  imprisonment,  as  the  case  might  be,  trusting  to 
my  papers  and  my  innocence  to  make  the  affair  not  amount 
to  anything  more  than  another  ''experience."  If  I  were 
arrested  they  would  be  bound  to  release  me  shortly,  and 
the  affair  would  be  worth  the  trouble  for  the  good  news- 
paper "  story  "  it  would  give  me. 

394 


THE  LAST  DAY  WITH  KRUGER 

But  when  the  other  incident  occurred  I  became  worried. 
During  all  this  time  the  British  control  over  the  cable  com- 
pany had  been  exercised  to  prevent  the  transmission  of  any 
news  whatever  from  abroad  to  Lorenzo  Marquez.  This 
was  done  to  prevent  news  leaking  into  the  Transvaal,  so  late 
June  had  arrived  and  I  had  not  even  heard  of  the  first  signs 
of  trouble  in  China.  So  serious  a  possibility  as  the  siege 
of  the  legations  never  entered  our  heads.  This  knowl- 
edge would  have  been  of  great  encouragement  to  the  Boers, 
and  for  that  reason  it  was  kept  from  them.  But  as  I  was 
sitting  in  the  railway  car  en  route  for  Machadodorp  I  hap- 
pened to  see  a  newspaper  which  had  been  used  as  the 
wrapper  of  a  bundle.  It  was  the  Natal  "  Mercury,"  and 
bore  a  very  recent  date,  so  I  knew  it  must  have  come  up 
the  coast  on  the  last  steamer,  and,  only  being  used  as  a 
wrapper,  it  had  accidentally  eluded  the  vigilance  of  the 
English  and  Portuguese  inspectors  at  Koomaatiport.  I 
picked  it  up,  and  soon  was  reading  of  the  Chinese  crisis  ! 

This  news  told  me  that  my  work  in  South  Africa  was 
over,  for  I  knew  no  newspaper  could  stand  the  enormous 
expense  I  was  entailing  on  the  *'  Express  "  unless  the  news 
resulting  was  of  the  first  importance.  The  Chinese  affair 
had  reduced  South  Africa  and  me  to  second  place  ;  and  I 
was  glad  of  it,  for  now  I  could  return  home — and  I  was  a 
little  homesick.  Farther  down  the  front  page,  in  a  minor 
paragraph,  I  read  a  few  lines  which  were  of  much  greater 
importance  to  me  : 

**  President  Kriiger,  in  an  interview  with  an  '  Express  ' 
correspondent  on  June  5th,  said,  '  We  will  never  surrender 
as  long  as  five  hundred  armed  men  remain  together.'  " 

It  was  true  enough  ;  but  if  a  copy  of  that  paper  should 
reach  Secretary  Reitz's  hands,  and  he  should  read  that  the 
President  had  said  that  to  a  correspondent  of  the  ''  Ex- 
press,"  London,  after  I   had  told  him   I   represented  the 

395 


WITH  ^^BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

•'Journal,"  of  New  York,  I  might  be  subjected  to  an  in- 
vestigation resulting  in  something  quite  as  unpleasant  as 
my  reported  arrest  and  removal  to  the  prison-pen  at  Nooit- 
gedacht. 

Arriving  at  Machadodorp  in  time  for  dinner,  I  entered 
the  hotel  dining-room  in  company  with  Ryan  and  another 
traveller.  As  I  walked  through  the  room  looking;  for  seats, 
I  saw  that  almost  every  one  there  was  looking  at  me  in  un- 
disguised astonishment.  Plainly,  the  report  of  my  arrest 
had  spread  about  the  capital  also.  Over  in  the  corner,  at 
his  accustomed  place,  sat  Mr.  Reitz  and  the  attaches  ;  there 
were  no  vacant  places  there,  but  it  occurred  to  me  that  I 
would  eat  easier  if  I  removed  all  doubt  about  my  standing 
at  once.  So  I  walked  boldly  over  to  Mr.  Reitz,  and,  greet- 
ing him  and  his  companions,  shook  hands  all  around,  passed 
a  few  commonplaces,  saw  at  once  that  the  rumor  was 
groundless,  and  then,  after  this  public  recognition  of  my 
continued  trustworthiness  by  the  Secretary  of  State,  I 
returned  to  my  place  and  ate  a  good  dinner,  regardless  of 
the  general  impression  the  suspicious  crowd  about  me 
might  have. 

That  afternoon  I  called  on  Mr.  Reitz  to  have  a  little  talk 
with  him.  He  was  busy  writing,  and  asked  me  to  sit  down 
and  wait  a  bit.  As  I  did  so,  I  saw  a  fresh  copy  of  the  Natal 
"  Mercury,"  of  the  same  date  I  had  read  in  the  car,  lying 
beside  him.  Down  at  the  bottom  was  that  dangerous 
Kriiger  paragraph. 

**  I  see  you  have  some  fresh  papers,"  I  said. 

**  Yes  ;  you  may  look  over  them,"  said  the  Secretary  ; 
"  I  have  not  yet  had  time  to  do  so  myself."  I  took  the 
"  Mercury,"  read  it  carefully,  and,  when  the  Secretary  was 
looking  the  other  way,  I  tore  off  the  corner  containing  the 
Kriiger  paragraph  in  such  a  way  that  it  would  look  as 
though  it  had  happened  accidentally  before  coming  into  my 

396 


THE  LAST  DAY  WITH  KRUGER 

hands.      In  about  ten  minutes  the  Secretary  turned  to   me 
and  began  asking  about  my  trip. 

After  teUing  him  all  about  it,  although  my  mind  was 
running  on  that  Kriiger  paragraph  all  the  time,  I  said, 

''Well,  Mr.  Reitz,  this  is  the  last  time  I  shall  have  the 
pleasure  of  calling  on  you.  I  am  leaving  for  Delagoa  Bay 
this  evening.  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?"'  There 
was.  He  asked  me  to  call  again  before  train  time  to  get 
some  letters,  and  I  spent  the  balance  of  the  day  hunting  up 
friends  and  saying  good-by  to  them.  My  train  left  about 
six  o'clock.  At  five  I  called  on  the  Secretary  and  received 
from  him  a  bundle  of  letters  ;  also  his  counter-signature  on 
my  passport,  for  a  new  rule  had  been  made  that  no  one  was 
allowed  to  leave  the  Transvaal  unless  his  passport  had  the 
signature  of  Mr.  Reitz. 

In  addition,  he  scrawled  a  few  words  across  its 'face,  the 
import  of  which  was  that  the  authorities  at  the  border 
were  to  allow  me  to  pass  without  examination  of  my 
papers  or  baggage — an  unusual  privilege.  After  a  last 
hearty  hand-shake,  and  mutual  expressions  of  esteem  and 
good  will,  I  left  the  fatherly  old  statesman  who  had  been 
so  good  a  friend  to  me.  I  deeply  regretted  the  decep- 
tion I  had  been  forced  to  practice  on  him,  but,  since 
through  it  I  never  did  either  him  or  his  country's  cause 
the  slightest  harm,  and  may  yet  do  it  some  good,  my  con- 
science does  not  worry  me  overmuch  on  that  score  ;  yet  I 
would  rather  have  had  it  otherwise,  for  I  am  sure  I  always 
enjoyed  his  implicit  confidence. 


397 


CHAPTER   XLVII. 

SECRETARY    REITZ    GIVES    ME    A    LESSON    IN    AMERICAN 
HISTORY. 

MY  strongest  impression  of  Secretary  Reitz  is  one  I  re- 
ceived one  night  before  I  made  my  short  visit  to 
General  Botha's  army  at  the  front.  I  had  been  sitting  up 
with  the  attaches,  swapping  newspaper  yarns  for  miHtary 
tales.  It  was  nearly  midnight  when  our  party  broke  up. 
Before  rolling  into  my  bunk  I  went  outside  for  a  moment, 
and  noticed  a  light  in  Mr.  Reitz's  compartment.  Feeling 
far  from  sleepy,  I  thought  I  would  see  if  he  was  of  the  same 
mind  as  myself  about  the  folly  of  sleeping  when  there  was 
talking  to  be  done  and  stories  to  be  told.  I  knocked  at  his 
door,  and,  without  waiting  for  a  reply,  walked  in.  The  old 
man  was  sitting  in  the  corner  of  his  bunk  ;  beside  him,  on 
the  opposite  bunk  and  on  the  table  between,  were  piles  of 
papers  and  official  documents  scattered  about.  A  long 
candle,  stuck  in  a  bottle,  furnished  the  illumination.  He 
was  sitting  with  one  knee  over  the  other,  reading  a  book, 
when  I  entered.  Looking  at  me  over  the  tops  of  his  gold 
spectacles,  he  recognized  me  at  once  in  the  half-dark- 
ness. 

*'  Oh,  is  that  you,  Mr.  Unger  ?  Come  in  ;  I  was  just 
reading  something  that  will  interest  you,  and  Tm  glad  you 
happened  in.  Sit  down,"  and  he  commenced  pushing  the 
papers  aside  to  make  room  for  me  beside  him,  meanw^hile 
placing  the  book  on  the  table.  Then,  as  was  his  custom,  he 
reached  for  his  box  of  cigars,  and  as  I  took  one  he  refilled 
his  pipe,  saying,  *'  I  never  smoke  cigars  ;  I  wonder  why  my 

398 


A  LESSON  IN  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

wife  sent  me  this  boxful  ?  However,  I'm  glad  to  have  them 
to  give  to  my  friends  ;  I  notice  you  always  seem  to  enjoy 
them,"  and  he  laughed  gently,  for  I  had  acquired  a  reputa- 
tion for  always  accepting  cigars  when  offered.  After  light- 
ing his  pipe  from  the  candle  he  said,  "  Look  here  at  what 
I  have  been  reading,"  and  he  took  up  the  book  he  had 
laid  down. 


Mr.  F.  W.  Reitz,  Secretary  of  State  of  the  South  African  Republic,  about  to 
ride  out  to  inspect  outposts  at  Machadodorp. 


I  looked  at  the  cover,  and  it  seemed  to  have  a  familiar 
look  ;  it  was  worn  and  old,  evidently  having  seen  much 
service.  Finally  I  recognized  it.  It  was  an  American 
school-book,  a  child's  *'  History  of  the  United  States," 
brought  from  America  by  some  traveller,  and  in  some  way 
had  drifted  into  the  hands  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the 
fugitive  Transvaal  government,  here  in  its  railway  capital 
at  Machadodorp. 

399 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

*'  I've  been  reading  here,"  went  on  Mr.  Reitz,  between 
successive  puffs  of  smoke,  *'  all  about  your  Revolutionary 
War,  and  I  find  it  is  extremely  interesting ;  and  what's 
more,  so  very  encouraging  to  us  at  this  time.  Look  here," 
and  he  began  to  turn  the  pages  ;  "  I  read  here  that  in  the 
winter  of  1777,  when  your  General  Washington  was  at 
Valley  Forge,  near  Philadelphia,  his  army  was  reduced  to 
only  fifteen  hundred  in  number,  and  he  knew  the  name  of 
every  man  under  him,  and  that  at  the  same  time  the  Eng- 
lish held  your  principal  cities  of  New  York  and  Philadel- 
phia. The  comparison  between  that  time  and  our  present 
situation  is  so  very  striking  and  so  much  in  our  favor  that  I 
feel  greatly  encouraged.  You  see,  this  is  our  winter,  and 
our  burghers  are  suffering  severely  ;  the  British  have  pos- 
session of  all  our  principal  cities — Bloemfontein,  Johannes- 
burg and  Pretoria — yet  we  have  a  fairly  comfortable  capital 
here  at  Machadodorp  ;  our  armies  have  plenty  of  supplies, 
and,  though  scattered,  they  number  at  least  fifteen  thousand 
men,  and  their  hearts  are  full  of  hope  and  determination. 
Don't  you  see  how  much  better  off,  in  comparison,  than 
you  were,  we  are  in  this  our  darkest  hour?  And  yet  you 
won  your  liberty  and  independence  ;  and  I  think  we  will 
also,  for  I  know  we  are  in  the  right,  and  I  think  God  will 
help  us  !"  And  the  old  man  looked  intently  at  me,  his  eyes 
glistening,  his  entire  being  radiating  belief  and  complete 
confidence  in  what  he  was  saying. 

What  an  appeal  to  my  school-boy  enthusiasm  and  pa- 
triotism !  I  felt  tears  coming  to  my  eyes  ;  I  sought  in  vain 
for  something  to  say  to  encourage  and  comfort  the  old 
statesman  and  patriot  sitting  beside  me,  his  eyes  sparkling 
with  hope  and  enthusiasm  as  he  talked  and  turned  over  the 
pages  of  that  familiar  school-book.  Then,  as  I  thought 
how  my  country,  where  almost  every  man  and  woman  and 
school-child  within  its  boundaries  were  watching  this   un- 

400 


A  LESSON  IiN  AMERICAN  HISTORY 

equal  struggle,  half  a  world  away,  with  sympathy  for  the 
one  contestant  and  anger  for  the  other,  our  own  hereditary 
enemy — as  I  thought  how  my  country  had  stood  aloof,  her 
administration  crying  **  Neutrality  !  neutrality  !"  while  with 
her  left  hand  she  allowed  and  encouraged  the  selling  of  mil- 
lions worth  of  horses  and  forage  to  England  to  use  in  the 
war,  and  with  her  right  hand  refused  to  insist  on  the  en- 
forcement of  neutrality  on  the  part  of  Portugal  where 
American  supplies  for  the  burghers  were  being  wrongly  de- 
tained in  the  customs-house,  that  the  armies  of  the  Repub- 
lics might  be  starved  into  submission — as  these  things 
passed  through  my  mind  I  grew  sad  and  sick  at  heart. 

I  told  the  Secretary  to  read  on,  and  he  would  learn  how 
the  war  in  the  Colonies  lasted  seven  years,  and  that  it  was 
not  until  it  had  been  going  on  for  several  years  that  the 
helping  hand  of  foreign  intervention  was  held  out  to  us  ; 
that  even  then  it  was  not  because  of  love  for  us  but  for 
hate  of  our  enemy  that  aid  was  given  ;  and,  finally,  how 
the  great  General  Washington  himself  never  won  a  victory 
personally  for  several  years,  until  the  final  surrender  at 
Yorktown.  I  told  him  to  remember  these  things  ;  and  then, 
if  he  felt  that  the  burghers  could  keep  up  the  fight  against 
such  odds  they  could  in  time  hope  to  win,  but  only  in 
time  and  under  similar  conditions. 

"Ah,"  he  said,  "but  perhaps  Bryan  will  be  elected,  and 
then  the  United  States  will  help  us." 

''Yes,"  I  said,  ''perhaps  he  will;  but  it  would  be  nine 
months  before  he  could  enter  office,  and  another  six  months 
before  Congress  would  meet,  and  then  several  months 
more  would  slip  away  before  anything  could  be  done. 
Can  you  hold  out  a  year  and  a  half  or  two  years?"  His 
face  clouded  as  I  said  this,  and  he  answered, 

"  No  ;  we  can  hold  out  six  months  more,  but  if  we  have 
to  depend  on  America  under  such  conditions  I  am  afraid  it 
26  401 


WITH  "BOBS''  AND  KRUGER 

will  be  too  late.  But,"  he  said,  brightening  up  again,  ''we 
are  a  God-fearing  people  ;  we  believe  in  Him,  and  know 
that  if  our  cause  is  just  He  will  help  us,  and  I  feel  that 
the  longer  He  withholds  His  hand  it  is  only  to  give  Eng- 
land more  time  to  repent  of  her  wickedness  before  He 
lifts  His  hand  to  strike  and  punish  her  for  what  she  is  doing 
to-day  in  South  Africa." 

[As  this  book  is  going  to  press,  the  war  has  already  ex- 
tended half  a  year  longer  than  this  additional  six  months 
which  Mr.  Reitz  foretold  to  be  the  limit  of  its  endurance.] 


402 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

THE    BRAINS    OF    THE    TRANSVAAL    GANG. 

WITHOUT  further  incident  of  note  I  passed  out  of  the 
Transvaal  gates  at  Koomaatiport,  the  officials  being 
courtesy  personified  on  the  production  of  my  magical  pass- 
port with  the  Secretary  of  State's  signature.  A  few  days 
later  a  steamer  left  Lorenzo  Marquez  for  Marseilles  via  the 
Red  Sea  and  the  Suez  Canal.  Among  the  passengers  was 
Dr.  Lingbeek,  formerly  of  Johannesburg.  He  was  a 
Hollander,  and  had  been  principal  medical  officer  of  the 
Hollander  Red  Cross  Corps.  Still  earlier  he  had  been 
President  Kriiger's  private  physician,  and  told  rne  that  the 
President,  though  old,  was  still  in  splendid  health  ;  his  only 
ailment  was  granulated  eyelids,  which  gave  him  consider- 
able pain,  but  that  his  vital  organs  all  seemed  to  be  as 
healthy  and  in  as  perfect  working  condition  as  those  of  a 
child.  In  speaking  of  the  Transvaal  administration  I  said 
to  Dr.  Lingbeek,  one  evening, 

*'  My  experience  among  men  and  affairs  has  taught  me 
that  where  two,  three,  half  a  dozen  or  more  men  are  brought 
together  for  a  common  purpose  they  are  usually  dominated 
by  one  mind.  One  brain  does  the  thinking  for  the  crowd, 
and  it  is  not  strength  of  will  or  character,  nor  indomitable 
perseverance  which  acquires  this  ascendancy  over  other  men. 
It  is  the  possession  of  a  faculty  of  mercurial  quickness  in 
adapting  the  means  at  hand  to  the  changing  conditions  ; 
a  clever  rather  than  a  strong  mind  that  does  the  thinking." 

The  Doctor  assented  that,  generally  speaking,  this  was 
true.      ''Well,"  I   continued,  "when  I  entered  the  Trans- 

403 


WITH   "BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

vaal  I  was  eagerly  on  the  lookout  for  that  leading  man  of 
the  government.  I  thought  to  find  him  in  Kriiger,  but  in 
my  first  interview  I  saw  it  could  not  be  he.  In  my  mind 
Kriiger  is  merely  a  romantic  figure-head  for  the  govern- 
ment gang.  They  have  selected  the  old  lion-hunter  and 
reposed  the  authority  in  him,  relying  on  their  ability  to  con- 
trol his  edicts  by  skillful  and  almost  hypnotic  suggestion. 
''Then  I  looked  to  find  the  master-mind  in  Mr.  Reitz,  but 


Loading  live  steers  at  Madagascar  on  French  transport  bound  for  China. 


concluded  after  much  hesitation  that  it  was  not  he.  Mr. 
Reitz  is  of  too  honest,  too  sincere  and  too  trustful  a  nature 
to  be  the  man  I  was  looking  for.  The  other  members  of 
the  government  at  Machadodorp  were  mere  puppets  in 
comparison,  and  I  wasted  no  time  on  them.  Now,  if  I 
am  right  in  my  estimation  of  the  situation,  tell  me  who  the 
man  is,  for  I  am  convinced  that  the  originator  and  manipu- 
lator of  the  schemes  of  these  two  republics  in  their  amazing 

404 


THE  BRAINS  OF  THE  TRANSVAAL  GANG 

defiance  of  and  defence  against  the  Empire  of  Great  Britain 
must  be  one  of  the  cleverest  mortals  alive." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  eminent  physician.  ''The 
man  you  are  looking  for  is  in  Europe.  His  name  is  Dr. 
Leyds  ;  he  is  the  brains  of  the  whole  thing.  Get  to  know 
him  and  you  will  see  it  at  once." 

I  have  never  met  or  seen  Dr.  Leyds,  yet  I  believe  him 
to  be  the  arch-patriot — or  conspirator,  as  you  choose  to 
look  at  it — of  the  South  African  Republics.  I  know  little 
of  his  career,  but  what  little  information  I  have  picked  up 
merely  corroborates  my  opinion  of  his  position,  so  strangely 
unique  in  the  history  of  this  war.  Dr.  Leyds  is  a  Hol- 
lander by  birth.  Some  ten  years  ago  he  drifted  to  the 
Rand  with  a  little  money  of  his  own,  settled  down  in  Jo- 
hannesburg, later  moved  to  Pretoria,  took  an  interest  in 
public  affairs,  gained  the  confidence  of  the  government  to 
such  a  degree  that,  after  urging  the  policy  which  provoked 
the  war  and  made  it  inevitable,  he,  the  unknown  of  ten 
years  before,  was  able  to  leave  the  country  and  live  in  a 
foreign  capital  during  the  period  and  danger  of  conflict,  and, 
most  stupendous  fact  of  all,  to  carry  with  him,  as  financial 
agent,  the  sum  of  two  million  and  a  half  pounds  in  gold, 
to  expend  at  his  discretion,  without  being  called  on  to  render 
an  account.  This  feat  places  him  easily  at  the  top  of  the 
list  as  the  most  monumental  and  successful  political  ad- 
venturer of  the  decade.  I  do  not  say  this  in  criticism  of 
Dr.  Leyds,  for  I  believe  he  merely  discovered  the  natural 
course  of  public  feeling  in  South  Africa,  and  honestly  helped 
it  to  flow  more  easily  through  its  legitimate  channels.  I 
insinuate  nothing  as  to  his  expenditures,  for  I  believe  a  man 
of  his  type  finds  sufficient  satisfaction  in  the  exercise  of 
power  alone  to  make  him  entirely  above  the  desire  for  self- 
aggrandizement.  To  him  and  all  like  him  I  cry  **  Hail  ! 
may  success  follow  in  your  path  and  lead  your  footsteps." 

405 


CHAPTER  XLVIX. 

Conclusion. 

NOW  that  I  am  nearing  the  end  of  my  story,  I  feel  that 
there  is  still  something  to  be  said  concerning  the 
ethical  side  of  this  war.  In  the  preceding  pages  I  have,  with 
all  fidelity,  recorded  the  varying  sympathies  for  both  sides 
which  occasions  chanced  to  promote.  I  feel  that  in  my 
heart  I  oscillated  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  that  in  so 
doing  the  mere  accidental  halting  of  my  sympathies  with 
either  side  would  furnish  no  criterion  that  it  was  right  and 
the  other  side  wrong.  Now,  writing  six  months  after  my 
departure  from  the  theatre  of  action,  viewing  the  situation 
from  a  distance  of  half  a  world's  circumference,  I  feel  better 
able  to  think  dispassionately. 

The  war  started  as  a  result  of  a  plot.  That  plot  at  one 
and  the  same  time  enlists  and  alienates  American  sympathy  ; 
it  alienates  because  it  was  an  assault  against  a  friendly  power 
— a  conspiracy  to  undermine  and  drive  everything  English 
out  of  South  Africa  and  entirely  uproot  the  last  vestige  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  civilization  and  plant  in  its  place  that  of 
the  Hollander-Boer  peoples,  which,  while  it  may  be  just  as 
good,  yet  is  at  heart  everlastingly  hostile  to  everything 
British.  As  I  have  said  earlier  in  this  volume,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  world-interests  of  England  and  America  are 
identical — so  the  South  African  war  affects  us.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  conspiracy  elicits  American  sympathy  be- 
cause it  was  a  natural  movement  toward  the  establishment 
of  a  United  States  of  South  Africa,  for  the  same  reasons 
that  we  ourselves  exist  as  a  nation  to-day.     As  an  Ameri- 

406 


CONCLUSION 

can,  believing  in  the  republic,  I  find  the  admission  that 
South  Africa  can  be  better  administered  by  England  than 
by  the  Republics  is  an  admission  that  the  Imperial  form  of 
government  may  be  better  than  the  republican,  and  this  I 
thank  God  I  am  not  ready  to  do. 

Viewing  the  subject  dispassionately,  I  feel  that  the  little 
republics,  having  committed  a  technical  blunder  in  invading 
a  British  colony  and  starting  the  war,  have  already  been 
sufficiently  punished.  Having  seen  enough  of  the  con- 
flict to  understand  what  General  Sherman  meant  by  saying 
''War  is  hell !"  I  am  now  for  peace.  The  republics  have 
lost  their  cities,  the  burghers  have  seen  their  homes  burned, 
their  herds  driven  off,  their  crops  destroyed,  their  brothers, 
sons  and  fathers  killed,  maimed  or  captured,  and  their  fami- 
lies broken  up.  The  results  of  half  a  century  of  work  have 
been  blotted  out.  The  conquest  of  the  veldt  has  to  begin 
anew.  The  Boers  are  the  only  people  who  can  or  desire 
to  do  it.  To-day  their  armies  are  fighting  for  one  thing 
only — for  their  flag.  It  seems  to  me  that  even  if  they  are 
entirely  in  the  wrong,  complete  national  extinction  is  too 
great  a  punishment  to  inflict.  Cut  away  three-quarters  or 
nine-tenths  of  their  territory ;  force  them  into  the  most 
barren,  arid  and  unproductive  part  of  their  country  ;  cripple 
them  by  treaties  and  restrictions,  if  you  will ;  but  leave 
them  their  flag — the  vieux  couleurs  ;  and,  though  weighted 
by  the  deadening  pressure  of  an  indemnity  that  it  will  re- 
quire an  eternity  to  pay,  the  burghers  will  accept  the  terms, 
cease  their  heart-rending  conflict,  and  there  will  be  peace 
in  South  Africa.  This  is  the  opportunity  of  England. 
Viewed  in  this  way,  the  act  would  be  a  graceful  acknowl- 
edgment of  American  sympathy  for  the  republics,  and 
would  go  far  to  cement  the  friendship  of  our  people  for 
England.  Neglected,  I  fe^l  sure  it  is  only  a  question  of 
time — that  America  will  stretch  out  her  hand  across  the 

407 


WITH  ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

seas  to  grasp  that  of  a  new  United  States,  which  will  have 
wrested  Hberty  and  independence  away  from  England,  the 
hereditary  enemy  of  our  own  privileges,  and  which  will 
have  done  it  without  even  our  moral  support,  to  our  lasting 
shame. 

From  the  ''Friend,''  Bloemfontein,  April,  1900. 

List  of  Correspondents. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  war  correspondents  in  the  field 
with  the  main  column  of  the  army  : 

HEADQUARTERS. 

Central  News. — Messrs.  Beresford,  Graham. 
*'  Daily  Chronicle." — Messrs.   Donohue,  Sheldon. 
''Times." — Messrs.  James,  Macdonell. 
"  Daily  News." — Messrs.  Pearce,  Wright. 
Renter's. — Messrs.  Gwynne,  Hutton. 
"Standard." — Messrs.  Maxwell,  Bleloch. 
"  Daily  Express." — Messrs.  Hodgetts,  Gotto. 
"Outlook."— Mr.  Goldman. 
"  Daily  Mail." — Messrs.  Barnes,  Jenkins. 
"  Morning  Post." — Messrs.  Battersby,  Churchill. 
"Telegraph." — Messrs.  Burleigh,  S.  Goldmann. 
"  Morning  Leader." — Mr.  Smith. 
Cape  "Times." — Mr.  Nissen. 
Cape  "Argus." — Mr.  Buxton. 
Midland  "  News." — Captain  Wester. 
"  Sphere." — Messrs.  Woollen,  Davies. 
-King."— Mr.  Shelley. 

"Illustrated    London    News." — Messrs.    Melton    Prior, 
Owen-Scott. 

"  Graphic." — Mr.   Fripp. 

"Black  and  White." — Mr.  Mortimer  Mempes. 

408 


CONCLUSION 

''  Cinemetograph." — Messrs.  Rosenthal,  Hyman. 

''  Harper." — Mr.  Dinwiddie. 

*'  Laffan's." — Messrs.  Rennett,  A.  Campbell. 

"Scribner." — Mr.  Mackem. 

Philadelphia  ''Press." — Mr.  Unger. 

Stockholm  paper. — Mr.  Mossberg. 

"  Canadian." — Mr.  Smith. 

Manchester  ''Guardian." — Messrs.  Atkins,  Reiss. 

Manchester  "  Courier." — Mr.  Scott. 

Chicago  "  Record." — Mr.  Scull. 

Swedish  paper. — Mr.  de  Kleen. 

With  various  regiments  in  this  force  but  not  attached  to 
headquarters  : 

Toronto  "  Globe." — Messrs.  Ewan,  Hamilton. 

Montreal  "Star." — Mr.  White. 

Montreal  "Herald." — Mr.  Finn. 

Sydney  "  Morning  Herald." — Mr.  Paterson. 

Sydney  "  Evening  News." — Mr.  Spooner. 

Sydney  "Telegraph." — Mr.  Wilkinson. 

New  Zealand. — Mr.  Shand. 

New  Zealand. — Mr.  Campbell. 

West  Australia. — Mr.  Lane. 

Melbourne  "  Herald." — Mr.  Reay. 

Melbourne  "Age." — Mr.  King. 

From  the  London  "  Express'' 

The  following  extract  from  the  London  "  Daily  Express  " 
of  June  6,  1900,  gives  the  casualties  among  the  corps  of 
war  correspondents  up  to  that  date  : 

Now  that  Pretoria  is  really  ours,  the  time  is  appropriate 
for  counting  the  cost. 

The  casualty  lists  have  shown  how  officers  and  soldiers 
have  suffered.  Here  is  a  casualty  list  of  non-combatants,  as 
the  war  correspondents  are  described. 

409 


WITH  -BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

The  designation  seems  almost  absurd,  nowadays.  War 
correspondents  may  not  shoot,  but  they  face  as  much  shoot- 
ing as  any  soldier  ;  and  the  wily  Boer  makes  no  distinc- 
tions. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  fate  of  half  the  correspondents 
to  fall  on  the  veldt,  to  fall  ill,  or  to  fall  into  gaol.  The 
"Daily  Mail"  was  particularly  unlucky;  Reuter's  and 
"The  Times,"  on  the  other  hand,  phenomenally  fortunate. 
The  "  Express  "  correspondents  have  only  had  a  few  weeks 
of  the  war,  but  one  of  them  has  been  laid  low  by  the  deadly 
enteric. 

Mingled  with  their  regrets  at  this  sad  price  of  success, 
press  men  may  feel  a  just  pride  at  the  courage  and  enter- 
prise of  their  colleagues.  Cowards  would  not  be  shot,  nor 
laggards  taken  prisoner. 

OVER    FORTY    VICTIMS. 

Mr.  G.  W.  Stevens,  "  Daily  Mail,"  died  of  enteric  during 
siege  of  Ladysmith. 

Mr.  Alfred  Ferrand,  "  Morning  Post,"  killed  at  Lady- 
smith. 

Mr.  Albert  CoUett,  "Daily  Mail,"  killed  in  action.  Mol- 
ten o. 

Mr.  Lambie,  Melbourne  "  Age,"  killed  at  Rensburg. 

Colonel  Hoskier,  "  Sphere,"  killed  near  Stormberg. 

Mr.  Ernest  G.  Parslow,  "Daily  Chronicle,"  shot  dead 
by  Lieutenant  Murchison  at  Mafeking.  Murderer,  penal 
servitude  for  life. 

Mr.  Mitchell,  "Standard,"  captured,  escaped,  took 
enteric  fever  and  died. 

Mr.  W.  Spooner,  Reuter's,  died  of  fever. 

Mr.  Charles  E.  Hands,  "  Daily  Mail,"  dangerously 
wounded,  Maritsani  (recovering  by  last  news). 

Mr.  A.  G.  Hales,  "  Daily  News,"  wounded  and  captured. 

410 


CONCLUSION 

Mr.  Julian  Ralph,  *'  Daily  Mail,"  struck  by  shell  frag- 
ment at  Belmont,  and  severely  injured  in  accident. 

Mr.  F.  W.  Walker,  ''Daily  Mail,"  wounded  at  Storm- 
berg. 

Captain  Wright,  "  Daily  Mail,"  injured  while  despatch 
riding. 

Lord  Delaware,  *'  Globe,"  wounded  at  Vryheid. 

Mr.  P.  J.  Reid  (son  of  Sir  H.  G.  Reid),  ''  Echo,"  seri- 
ously wounded  at  Khesis. 

Mr.  E.  F.  Knight,  *'  Morning  Post,"  shot  with  sporting 
Mauser  bullet  at  Belmont,  right  arm  amputated. 

Mr.  W^inston  Spencer  Churchill,  ''Morning  Post,"  cap- 
tured at  Chieveley,  afterward  escaped. 

Lord  Cecil  Manners,  "  Morning  Post,"  captured  near 
Johannesburg  and  liberated. 

Mr.  Hales,  Sydney  "  Morning  Herald,"  captured. 

Mr.  George  Lynch,  "Morning  Herald"  and  "Echo," 
captured,  released,  in  hospital  with  enteric  fever,  now  in 
England. 

Mr.  M.  H.  Donohoe,  "  Daily  Chronicle,"  captured,  prob- 
ably released  yesterday. 

Mr.  A.  Graham,  Central  News,  missing  since  May  21, 
supposed  captured. 

Mr.  A.  F.  Hellawell,  Rev.  Adrian  Hofmeyer,  Lady 
Sarah  Wilson,  all  "  Daily  Mail,"  captured. 

Lord  Rosslyn,  "  Daily  Mail"  and  "Sphere,"  captured. 

Mr.  James  Milne,  Renter's,  captured. 

Mr.  John  Stuart,  "Morning  Post,"  nearly  blind  after 
the  siege  of  Ladysmith  ;  recovered  ;  now  ill  with  dysen- 
tery. 

Mr.  W.  Maxwell,  "Standard,"  enteric  fever  during  siege 
of  Ladysmith,  recovered. 

Mr.  Alfred  Kinnear,  Central  News,  enteric,  invalided 
home, 

411 


WITH   ''BOBS"  AND  KRUGER 

Mr.  Joseph  S.  Dunn,  Central  News,  twice  captured, 
enteric,  recovered. 

Mr.  W.  Martindale,  Mr.  W.  S.  Swallow,  and  Mr.  Chas. 
Bray,  Central  News,  enteric,  recovered. 

Mr.  F.  A.  Stewart,  ''  Illustrated  London  News,"  down 
with  dysentery  at  Durban. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Maud,  ''  Daily  Graphic,"  laid  up  with  enteric 
fever  after  Ladysmith,  and  invalided  home. 

Mr.  Bullen,  '' Daily  Telegraph,"  invalided  home. 

Mr.  H.  W.  Nevinson,  ''  Daily  Chronicle,"  in  hospital 
with  fever,  now  recovered. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Cameron,  ''  Daily  Chronicle,"  enteric  ;  per- 
manently invalided. 

Mr.  Brayley  Hodgetts,  "Express,"  invalided  with  enteric. 

Mr.  Lester  Ralph,  Mr.  H.  Lyons,  Mr.  R.  C.  E.  Nissen, 
and  Mr.  L.  Oppenheim,  **  Daily  Mail,"  invalided. 


412 


nrz^ 


•  V  SI 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


